Pocket Full Of Gold

Vince Gill

MCA Nashville, 1991

http://www.vincegill.com

REVIEW BY: Mark Millan

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 01/07/2010

This is the album that got me listening to country music. After seeing Vince Gill and his band perform the title track at the 1992 Grammy Awards, I was instantly hooked on this guy and went out and picked up this release on cassette. I was not disappointed, and Gill’s fifth studio album still stands as one of his best among many fine efforts over the last couple of decades. After the Oklahoma native parted company with his band Pure Prairie League, Gill went on to a solo career and soon found success with 1989’s When I Call Your Name, and after this record bettered its predecessor, he was well on his way to becoming a genuine star.

There is simply not a weak song on this album, and Gill’s romantic tones are truly intoxicating.  Backed by an assortment of session players (including Patty Loveless), he turned out an impressive country album containing some beautiful ballads and catchy country-tinged rockers.  Opener “I Quit” is just one of those songs that I never get tired of hearing and has become a mainstay of Gill’s live sets. “Look At Us” is the kind of love song that this guy was born to sing; I think he has the most romantic voice I’ve ever heard from a man – and, boy, does he know how to use it.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

“Take Your Memory With You” is your typical humorous country ditty that finds Gill contemplating life at the end of a relationship – one that he seems to be happy is over. The title track is easily the best cut on the record, and while it remains one of Gill’s finest, it also is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. The harmonies are to die for, with Gill weaves his words of warning (“For another man’s treasure, you’d say anything / But is one night of pleasure, worth the trouble you’ll bring”) around a simple but effective melody.

“The Strings That Tie You Down” takes up where “Pocket Full Of Gold” left off. More beautiful harmonies with Loveless and some great dueling steel guitar and fiddles make for another gem in this fantastic set of tracks. Rocker “Liza Jane” has become another fan favorite, and it’s easy to see why; it’s so infectious and bouncy that it is reminiscent of the bop sounds of the ‘50s. 

“If I Didn’t Have You In My World” is another love song that Gill could probably cut in his sleep, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less of a song, because it’s definitely not. This is followed by another upbeat fiddle-happy cut with “A Little Left Over,” which finds Gill professing his ease with the fact that he’ll “never be a millionaire.” I wonder how he feels about that now…

This release closes with the only two songs that Gill had no hand in writing, but he chose them wisely because they are tailor-made for his voice. “What’s A Man To Do” and “Sparkle” both deliver the goods and fit in well with this disc’s mix of ballads and energetic numbers. I have long been a fan of Vince Gill’s, and although he has made some fantastic music over the years, I don’t think he’ll ever top this one.

Rating: A

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