Timeless [Extra tracks]

For her eighth studio album, the sweet soprano of Kansas looks back and shares her favorite country classics. The well known songs will be sure to please fans of pure country music, but won't win very many new converts from the cross-over country camp.

Staying faithful to the traditional songs, the first single is a very pretty and powerful rendition of Lynn Anderson's 1970 number one hit "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", a great choice, and one of the best songs from this album.

Eighteen songs long, the album pays tribute to the greatest country icons of all time, such as Hank Williams, Ray Price, Don Gibson, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, Hank Snow, Tammy Wynette, Johhny Cash, Eddy Arnold and Kris Kristofferson. Dolly Parton guests on Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone".

A faithful tribute to traditional country music, and a great gift for a country music fan. Rated 4.5 stars.

Amanda Richards

You can take the singer out of the country but you can't take the country out of the singer, so the cliché goes. Martina proves the correctness of that cliché by recording a set of covers of songs that were originally recorded mainly in the sixties and seventies, with a few dating back to the forties and fifties. Fans of these traditional country songs ought to love Martina's versions, because she sticks very closely to the style of the originals, with no attempt to interpret any of the songs differently. The who wonder what Martina brings to these old classics should remember that Martina has an outstanding voice and doesn't need to re-interpret these songs to make them worth hearing again. So although I am very familiar with every one of the songs here (including the four European bonus tracks), I really enjoy hearing Martina sing them. Whether Martina's younger fans will like this album is not for me to say but I expect some will and some won't. Those who do may be tempted to investigate the original singers of these songs.

Martina credits Hank Williams, Ray Price (two songs), Don Gibson, Lynn Anderson, Sammi Smith (two songs), Loretta Lynn, Connie Smith, Charlie Walker, Hank Snow, Buddy Holly, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Jeanne Pruett, Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens and Eddy Arnold as the singers whose versions inspired her own versions of the songs on the eighteen tracks on the American edition of this album.

The two Sammi Smith tracks (Today I started loving you again, Help me make it through the night) were themselves both covers that Sammi had success with where others had either failed or simply released as B-sides. Of course, Sammi should have been a major star in her own right as her interpretations of those songs proved, but her best recordings were for a small label that was unable to capitalize on her talent. Then again, a major label might have ruined her talent as somebody suggested to me.

The Don Gibson classic (I can't stop loving you) is better known via another cover - that by Ray Charles, which became an international number one pop hit - but Martina sticks faithfully to Don's original style. Similarly, one of the Ray Price songs (Heartaches by the number), is best known via a pop cover, in this case Gay Mitchell.

Satin sheets (the Jeanne Pruett classic) has proved popular with female country singers, inspiring covers by Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Fairchild and Loretta Lynn among others. Martina does full justice to the song but my favorite version will forever remain the answer-song version by Hank Williams Junior, which he recorded at a time when he was having marital difficulties. Talking of Dolly, she provides backing vocals on Martina's chosen Johnny Cash classic (I still miss someone) though you have to listen closely to hear Dolly. Now, why didn't Martina include one of Dolly's own songs on the album? Well, maybe she'll get round to recording a Dolly song one day.

With eighteen tracks, the standard American edition represents great value but this European edition includes four bonus tracks (Dreaming my dreams, Cryin' time, Walk on by, Take these chains from my heart). The four bonus tracks are listed on the paper backing, so it is easy to tell the two versions apart, but the Europeans left the booklet inside unchanged, so that only mentions the basic eighteen tracks. Whether these four bonus tracks are worth the extra premium that Americans would have to pay to get them, I can't say. I'm just glad they come as standard in my part of the world. One other track that doesn't appear on either edition, but which was almost certainly recorded at the same time, is Martina's cover of Jeannie C Riley's classic Harper Valley PTA. You'll find it on the Desperate housewives soundtrack.

Marina McBride has a fabulous voice but is invariably too rock/pop oriented for my taste, so when this CD was recommended, I was sceptical to say the least. Well, was I proved wrong....and then some!! This album, which any traditional country fan will appreciate, is fantastic. BUY IT - you won't be disappointed.