Jobie Reviews Music 152: The State Songs Vol. 1 (album) by Rick Pickren. Requested by F63.
- ChemicalSkylines
- Jun 6, 2021
- 2 min read
The State Songs Vol. 1 is a 2008 country album by Rick Pickren. It is 12 tracks long, spanning 36 minutes and 24 seconds of music. The album is the first volume in a series of four that contain covers of every official U.S. state song. These covers are quite excellent, with Pickren delivering some incredible sounding country tunes in the album’s half hour runtime. The vocals which Pickren delivers on the album fit each state song well, providing the patriotism that the original songs brought to the table.
It’s probably worth noting that most of the state songs on the album use the most recent (official) lyrics that were available in 2008, not the lyrics that were part of the song at the time of adoption. For example, Florida’s state song “Old Folks at Home” uses the revised 2008 lyrics instead of the 1851 version of the lyrics. There is a notable exception to this, however, with “Beautiful Ohio” still using the 1918 lyrics instead of the revised 1989 lyrics.
Pickren’s country sound on this album refrains from resorting to the more radio-ready modern country of today, instead opting to keep true to each song’s roots by deploying a more relaxed sound that’s reminiscent of older country music. This makes each song feel like the patriotic state song it was meant to be, with a sincere sense of pride being present in each track’s sound.
Pickren employs an “old timey” introduction in “Beautiful Ohio”, an intentional muffled feel lining the first verse of the song. It’s also the only time this effect is used in the album, which makes me wonder what purpose it serves in the grand scheme of the album. Still, Pickren does an excellent job covering “Beautiful Ohio”, with flawless instrumentation encompassing the rest of the song.
My favorite songs from this album are “Illinois”, “Old Folks at Home”, “Home On the Range”, and “My Old Kentucky Home”.
Overall, The State Songs Vol. 1 is a flawless collection of state song covers which is sure to amaze country fans and non-country fans alike. Pickren’s amazing instrumentation and vocals make this album a joy to listen to, with not one track sticking out as worse than the others. Give this one a listen if you like old-style country music with patriotism sprinkled throughout its runtime.
Overall rating:
9.5/10
LINK TO ALBUM:
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