Slim Whitman

Indian Love Call [Living Era]

by John Bush review

Aside from a pair of gargantuan Bear Family box sets, Indian Love Call is the most lovingly compiled Slim Whitman set to be released, and easily the best. Including 27 songs from his first six years of recording (also his major hit period), the disc debuts with his first single for RCA, 1949's "I'm Casting My Lasso Towards the Sky," backed by a rock-solid string group composed of Chet Atkins, Homer Haynes, Jethro Burns, and Jerry Byrd. Whitman's throwback style -- a sprightly yodel and a crying tenor augmented by sympathetic steel guitar -- didn't play very well at first; country singers of the late '40s and early '50s did much better with honky tonk and country boogie. Within a few years, however, Whitman began reaching the country charts with Western or pop ballads "Love Song of the Waterfall," "Indian Love Call," "Secret Love," and "Rose Marie." A few were sizable pop hits as well (in England and America), and Whitman soon traveled around the world to perform. He also journeyed farther into the past for his material, including country chestnuts ("The Cattle Call," "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine") and 19th century songs as well ("Beautiful Dreamer," "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen"). (All but the last are present on this compilation.) Whitman produced one of the most beautiful crooning styles ever to come out of the country tradition, and this Living Era compilation is a fitting tribute.

	Track Name/Composer	Time
1.	I'm Casting My Lasso Towards the Sky Jimmy Wakely / Lee White	2:45
2.	Birmingham Jail Traditional	2:54
3.	Love Song of the Waterfall	2:57
4.	Indian Love Call Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II	3:10
5.	China Doll	2:55
6.	Amateur in Love	2:47
7.	By the Waters of Minnetonka Thurlow Lieurance	2:48
8.	Keep It a Secret Jessie Mae Robinson	2:28
9.	My Heart Is Broken in Three	2:44
10.	There's a Rainbow in Every Teardrop Slim Whitman	2:44
11.	Danny Boy Traditional / Frederick Edward Weatherly	3:12
12.	North Wind	2:49
13.	Secret Love Sammy Fain / Paul Francis Webster	2:51
14.	There's a Loveknot in My Lariat Wilf Carter	2:44
15.	Rose Marie Oscar Hammerstein II / Otto Harbach / Rudolf Friml	2:20
16.	Beautiful Dreamer Stephen Foster	2:24
17.	The Singing Hills Mack David / Sammy Mysels / Dick Sanford	2:30
18.	You Have My Heart	3:04
19.	When I Grow Too Old to Dream Sigmund Romberg / Oscar Hammerstein II	2:35
20.	The Cattle Call Tex Owens	2:33
21.	Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Fred Rose	2:55
22.	When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again Wiley Walker / Gene Sullivan	2:38
23.	That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine Gene Autry / Jimmy Long	2:59
24.	Roll on, Silvery Moon	3:03
25.	A Haunted, Hungry Heart	3:06
26.	I'll Never Stop Loving You Sammy Cahn / Nicholas Brodszky	2:17
27.	Song of the Wild	2:21
28.	Tumbling Tumbleweeds	3:01