Stonewall Jackson signed to Little Darlin' in 1979, several years after leaving Columbia Records, which was the last time he had been a presence on the country charts. His records for Little Darlin' didn't return him to the charts, but it did revitalize him artistically as he moved toward the... [+] Expand

Stonewall Jackson signed to Little Darlin' in 1979, several years after leaving Columbia Records, which was the last time he had been a presence on the country charts. His records for Little Darlin' didn't return him to the charts, but it did revitalize him artistically as he moved toward the rough and rowdy sound of late '70s outlaw country upon the urging of his new label. There were still remnants of the poppier side of Jackson -- the side that was clearly heard on his hits for Columbia in the '60s -- whether it was on the swinging "I Can't Sing a Love Song" or on the remakes of his old hits "Waterloo," "B.J. the DJ," "Leona," "Mary Don't You Weep," and "Leona" that he cut immediately after signing to Little Darlin'. Those remakes constituted the 1979 Platinum Country LP, which was followed later that year by Bad Ass, a collection of new songs in the outlaw vein. Bad Ass was almost cartoonishly outlaw -- as evidenced by the titles of "Jesus Took the Outlaw out of Me," "Come on Home and Have Your Next Affair With Me," "Alcohol of Fame," and, best of all, "The Pint of No Return" -- but even if the titles are silly, the music is strong, with sturdy songs and great straight-ahead honky tonk performances by the Little Darlin' house band and an assured Jackson. It might not have made for a commercial comeback, but it surely was an artistic one, yet it remained out of circulation for years, along with the rest of the Little Darlin' catalog. Koch began reissuing the Little Darlin' catalog in 2004, and one of the first reissues was The Little Darlin' Sound: The Mighty Stonewall Jackson Sings Modern Hits & Original Favorites, a 20-track collection of his 1979 recordings for the label. All of Bad Ass is here as is all but two tracks from Platinum Country, along with a couple of excellent sides that didn't make it on either LP ("Here's to the Ripoff," "Listening to Johnny Paycheck"). It may have been a long wait, but it was worth it since this superb disc proves that after he left Columbia Stonewall recorded some of his hardest country and some of his best music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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