The Sons of the Pioneers: Roy Rogers , Tim Spencer, Karl Farr, Hugh Farr, Bob Nolan.
Varese Sarabande's Sons of the Pioneers Classic Cowboy Songs collection features 18 cuts from the iconic group's most beloved lineup, featuring Roy Rogers and Bob Nolan. Nolan (who penned some of country music's most beloved cowboy anthems), Rogers, and the rest are in fine form here, displaying the cohesiveness and confidence that made songs like "Sky Ball Paint," "Round-Up in the Sky," and "Down Along the Sleepy Rio Grande" feel like windows into the West, but the absence of more familiar tunes such as "Tumbling Tumbleweeds," "I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)," and "Cool Water" keep this fine sampler, which chronicles the group's output from 1934 to 1941, from surpassing some of the more even-handed anthologies. ~ James Christopher Monger
