Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 15, 1994 TAG: 9404150066
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: |By MARK MORRISON| |STAFF WRITER|
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Anderson, who played the Salem Civic Center on Wednesday night in a concert that was postponed from February because of an ice storm, has a voice that's certainly country yet still all his own. It resonates like a whippoorwill singing far off down a hollow early in the morning.
A whippoorwill with a twang, of course.
His voice especially shone on his newer material: "I've Got It Made," "Money in the Bank," "I Wish I Could Have Been There," "Seminole Wind" and "I Fell In The Water." These songs seemed to garner the most enthusiasm from the audience of 3,874.
The only real shortcoming with Anderson's voice is that although it is unique, it isn't very strong. It's better suited for a small setting than an arena.
Probably the worst thing you can say about Anderson is that he isn't much of a showman. Like his voice, his style is more subdued than supercharged, more virtuoso than dynamo. He just comes to make music. His way. There's nothing false, calculated or pretentious with him at all.
Little Texas, a country hair band that was second on the bill, was a different story.
All hunka-hunka good looks, long hair and little imagination, the group is so far in the middle of the road it could be the dotted line along a flat Texas highway. It's the polar opposite of an original talent like John Anderson.
Individually, the group includes: the lead guitarist flannel shirt guy, the tight black T-shirt and ripped blue jeans guy, the Cousin It guy, the bouncy guy, the lead singer hair mousse guy, and the drummer.
Still, there was no denying that Little Texas is a crowd-pleaser.
The group played all of its formula country pop and rock hits: "God Bless Texas," "My Love," "What Might Have Been," "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "First Time For Everything." And the reception: squeals and shrieks and screams and wild, blind applause.
Maybe it was just too hard to see the truth through all the hair.
Mark Collie opened Wednesday's show with a mixed-bag performance that covered everything from country pop, hard rock, classic country and his one true hit to a 1950s-style rocker.
Collie handled the mix with good and bad results.
He seemed more comfortable with his hit, "Even The Man in the Moon Is Cryin'," and the rockers, which included covers of "I Fought The Law," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and the romping "Shame Shame Shame Shame," a song Collie co-wrote that would have been right at home on any old Elvis record.
Not so good was his country pop: "Born To Love You" and "It's No Secret I'm Still In Love With You." And his slow, spacey version of Johnny Cash's classic "Ring of Fire" was just plain weak.
But at least he tried to mixed things up.
by CNB