The album that was in the charts when
Jim Reeves' plane went down on July 31, 1964,
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? is a solid slice of relatively pure country, largely free of the "countrypolitan" strings and choirs that were coming into fashion by 1964 and which would usually be dubbed onto
Reeves' posthumous hits for the rest of the '60s and well into the following decade. Three hits are included: the title track (one of
Reeves' very best weepers), "Your Old Love Letters," and "Each Time You Leave." The highlight among the album tracks is an absolutely terrific, faithful rendition of
Woody Guthrie's "The Oklahoma Hills," proof that
Reeves had deeper folk and pure country roots than many of his contemporaries. ~ Stewart Mason