Faron Young was one of the hottest country stars in the land when he made
Wine Me Up, an album that demonstrates his mastery of various country music forms and yielded two major hits. The title track, a clever drinking song, nearly topped the country chart, and "Your Time's Comin'" (written by
Kris Kristofferson and
Shel Silverstein) reached the Top Five. Unfortunately,
Young spends a lot of time on songs that quickly became over-recorded and tiresome, like "Little Green Apples" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town," but his uncommon arrangements and excellent performances redeem the uninteresting material. A pair of
Glen Campbell hits ("Gentle on My Mind," "Galveston") show that this honky tonk stalwart can roll with the trends without succumbing to pop sweetness, and
Young reassures lovers of hard country with straight-up country like "Painted Girls and Wine."
Wine Me Up goes in several directions at once, but
Young's vocal skill ties it all together.