Album Review: Clinton Gregory - "Too Much Ain't Enough"

Blessed with a voice that is about the purest country tenor I've ever heard - it's up there with Vince Gill's voice - Clinton Gregory returns with his first album in 12 years. Read on to see what we have to say about the legendary fiddler's latest record.

Blessed with the kind of voice that most country music artists would kill to have, Clinton Gregory seemed to disappear from the mainstream scene for years but what many don't know is that he didn't exactly go away. Instead he went out on tours as a harmony vocalist and expert fiddler for classic stars and even a stint in Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" documentary which brought him to a newer, wider audience.After those years behind the Scene, Clinton has found a new record label home with Melody Roundup Music and has released a fine 12 track collection called Too Much Ain't Enough that features songs from the likes of great writers like Tommy Barnes, Bill Emerson, Larry Williams, Gerald Smith, Gary Hannan, Jerry Salley, Marty Brown, Buck Moore, Pebe Sebert - aKa Ke$ha's mom - and Johnny Holland.

That expert country voice - which Marty Stuart has declared "The Best on the planet" - rips through the opener "Too Country For Nashville" and from one listen to the song, it's evident this ain't a record that's completely in the mainstream country radio pocket. But you know, that's not to say there aren't some tracks here that can and should be able to compete with country radio, Many of those songs are the traditional-leaning tracks like "Has Love Taken The Toll," "Chase Away The Lonely" and the fantastic title track "Too Much Ain't Enough." These songs all talk of different aspects in a life in despair, "Chase Away The Lonely" is about a man who is drowning away his sorrows in the bottle and through one night stands ("when searching for salvation leads to desperation, you'll do whatever it takes to chase away the lonely") while "Too Much Ain't Enough is about a man who doesn't know how to stop drinking and the repercussions from losing his wife aren't enough to make him stop. "Has Love Taken A Toll" feels like a classic George Strait track (it's a solo write from Clinton), and it is a lovely little tune.

The tempo songs aren't too far from mainstream either. Including "If That' Ain't Jones," "Bridges" and "You Smile," songs that mix the sound of Easton Corbin, George Strait and Alan Jackson with Gregory's stellar voice. Clinton Gregory is a once in a lifetime artist and it'd be awesome to hear a voice like his in between the Luke Bryans, Lee Brices and Lady Antebellums of the country radio world. But until this happens - if it ever does - I have the fantastic Too Much Ain't Enough to join recent traditionalist fare by Teea Goans and Tim Culpepper to keep my ears in audio bliss. 

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