Patsy Cline: Live at the Opry : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

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It's unfortunate that the movie Sweet Dreams failed to stir up the same mania for Patsy Cline that La Bamba did for Ritchie Valens (and Los Lobos), because Cline's wonderful legacy deserves every bit of trendy revivalism it can get. In the way that Aretha Franklin is Lady Soul, Cline is surely Lady Country; twenty-five years after her untimely death she remains the undisputed standard-bearer for the kind of Nashville folk that ripples the heartstrings.

Though you might be better acquainted with Linda Ronstadt's version of "Crazy" or Elvis Costello's performance of "She's Got You," you haven't really heard those songs until you've heard Cline's unmatched blend of silky and earthy blues. MCA had all but neglected Cline's catalog, but the label has recently exhumed and rereleased everything (not only on vinyl and tape but on CD as well), and most impressive are these previously unavailable, first-ever live recordings.

Cline's studio work with producer Owen Bradley shimmered with lush strings and reverb (the best collection remains MCA's old double album The Patsy Cline Story, sadly unavailable on CD); Live at the Opry, culled from radio broadcasts spanning most of her career (1956 to 1962), delivers Cline's sassy, incandescent soul in a loose, even more entrancing fashion.

Cline serves up many of her biggest hits with the charm and aplomb of a cheerful diner waitress knowing she's pouring the world's best coffee. "Walkin' After Midnight" and "I Fall to Pieces," both classics in their studio versions, are only enhanced by the presence of a rapt audience and a live band. Cline's renditions of Hank Williams's yodelly "Lovesick Blues" and Carl Smith's "There He Goes" highlight her trademark ability to slide gracefully around a tune with humor and love. As the Country Music Foundation's Jay Orr points out in the excellent liner notes, on a few numbers Cline sounds pleasantly surprised at her own performance, letting out delighted snarls and yelps.

Whether introducing Cline to the uninitiated or rewarding existing fans with new riches, Live at the Opry is a flawless testament to a career that, though cut short by a plane crash, is sure to endure forever.