Ronnie Milsap “Summer Number Seventeen” Album Review

Prime Cuts:  Summer Number 17, Tears on My Pillow, Personality

If you tired of the din of today's music with the perpetual thunderous guitar riffs and if you want to take a nostalgic stroll back into the halcyon days of the past, "Summer #17" is your first class ticket.  Even for those of us who were not alive in the 50s and 60s, it's still an educational trip.  Milsap brings us back to the days where melodies were constructed to be engraved in our long term memories.  And he brings us back to the days before iTunes where records are played in its entirety.    Save for two original songs that bookend the album, this is an unabashed slice of super-smooth recording of some of the pop, soul and even country oldies garnered mainly from the 50s and 60s.  Despite being a septuagenarian at the ripe age of 71, Milsap still brims with energy. And when he puts his supple tenor to work on a ballad, he still commands standing ovations. 

Though recently written by the 21 year-old Sam Hunter, the title cut "Summer #17" has an old fashioned charm that sits comfortably with the rest of the songs.  Fueled by Milsap's gossamer electric piano and a doo-wop backing, romance seems sweeter in the sepia-tone past as Milsap sings about moonless sky, fireflies and the starlight of teenage romance.  The other Milsap original comes at the tail end of the record.  It is Milsap's re-recording of his 27th no. 1 record from 1985 "Lost in the 50s Tonight."  Praised by fans and critics alike, "Lost in the 50s Tonight" remains one of Milsap's signature tunes. And after all these years its impeccable melody is still hard to fault.  

The remaining 10 cuts are all oldies but goodies.  Tommy Edwards' "It's All in the Game" gets a lush string-laden treatment with lots of "do do" backing accompaniment.   While Johnny Nash's (and also popularised by Kylie Minogue in the late 80s) "Tears on My Pillow" puts all our modern day songs of heartbreak to shame.  A broken heart has never been more animatedly portrayed than on this ballad.  Lloyd Price's "Personality," on the other hand, gets a big band treatment with lots of brass horns.  Just like Martina McBride who has also recently cut "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted," Milsap's version is pedestrian; keeping far too abreast to the original. 

An air of pride accompanies Milsap on his take of the soul classic "Georgia on My Mind;" a song he performed when he was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1990.   And country crooner Mandy Barnett who has a voice that bears a striking resemblance to the late Patsy Cline joins Milsap on two songs.  Barnett comes across well without being exceptional on "You Make Me Feel Brand New," but on "Make Up" she is so engaging that she almost steals the spotlight.  Therefore, if you are into the tepid sunshine of nostalgic romance girded by the voice of a veteran who sings with ease and passion, "Summer #17" is the hottest spot to be in.

Tags : Ronnie Milsap Summer # 17