The Statler Brothers

Following the departure and subsequent replacement of Lew DeWitt, the Statler Brothers released a slew of albums, most of which appeared on Mercury Records. In 2006, Mercury dropped a 12-song compilation album, Favorites, which comprised the group's original works from the post-DeWitt years. The compilation represents a decade's worth of material, hand-picked by the band's remaining members, beginning with "There Is You" and "I'm Dyin' a Little Each Day," from 1983's Today -- the first album to feature DeWitt's replacement, Jimmy Fortune. Favorites features "If It Makes Any Difference," a track off the group's 1984 unofficial comeback album, Atlanta Blue. The collection spotlight's the best-selling vocal harmony group's lesser known songs from the second half of their career, many of which never stray from the group's original all-American appeal. The selections on Favorites represent small-town life and the simple pleasures of long-lasting love, family, home and country. But while Favorites might distinguish and pay homage to the group's songs forgotten by the charts, most Statler Brothers fans would be better off exploring the original albums on which the tunes appear -- if they don't own them already. True, the songs chosen for Favorites are sincere, gentle, and no doubt in part embody a decade of the group's recordings, but die-hard fans, and especially those just getting their feet wet, would find their interests better suited with a few of the group's chart-toppers to add some needed excitement to Favorites. ~ Megan Frye, All Music Guide