Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 11, 1995 TAG: 9503170007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Well, here's why he doesn't get any respect: Because he doesn't deserve any. At least not enough to justify his arena-sized success.
Of course, his fans will disagree.
How then do you explain his popularity? they'll ask. How can 10 million people be so wrong?
Plus, he's so cute.
And he can dance.
Even Billy Ray himself often has cried the blues about being misunderstood and underappreciated.
Well, boo-hoo again.
He gets no sympathy here.
Thursday night at the Salem Civic Center, Billy Ray proved once again why the critics have been right all along, and his dwindling fan base has been, let's just say, misguided.
His short, 75-minute show was a testament to his undeniable mediocrity. Does anyone here smell one-hit wonder?
Oh yes, he played his bubble gum breakthrough, "Achy Breaky Heart," that launched his country music arrival in 1992. And yes, he milked it for all it was worth, knowing no doubt what has been paying the bills. He danced, he wiggled, he jiggled. It was all very silly, as usual, but effective nonetheless as a crowd-pleaser.
Beyond the "Achy Breaky" moves, however, and maybe his good looks, Billy Ray doesn't have much of an arsenal.
It was hardest for him to hide his averageness on the ballads and slower numbers in particular, and, unfortunately, his show was loaded with them. To name a few: "Storm in the Heartland," "She's Not Crying Anymore," "The Past," "One Last Thrill," "Some Gave All" and "In The Heart of a Woman."
The problem is that Billy Ray doesn't sing so much as he does plow and growl. Only his growling isn't for style or effect like Conway Twitty could do so masterfully. His is the growl of a Saturday night lounge singer who plows through his songs with less than an artist's touch.
It's not really bad, it's just not really good.
It's a shame, too, because some of Billy Ray's songs are pretty decent. In a better singer's hands, some of them could be pretty powerful - or at least above average.
But then, maybe the gig is up anyway.
This marked the third time Billy Ray has played Salem. The first time, in 1992, he drew a sell-out crowd of 6,907. The second stop a year later drew 5,513. Thursday, the number was down to 2,136.
Maybe he has come full-circle. Maybe the next time he comes around, he should play some lounge or club somewhere, like where he started and where he rightfully belongs.
For his opening act, it seemed appropriate that Billy Ray came in with the sub-par support of a regional club band, Festus Gunslinger, rather than a brand-name performer.
Almost every concert nowadays features at least one up-and-coming act to boost the headliner. Some concerts even include two rising acts.
Not that there was anything wrong with Festus Gunslinger. In the group's defense, the band in its 30-minute set didn't come across as any less talented than some of the name acts that have passed through Nashville's mediocrity mill in recent years.
At the same time, although it was good to see a regional group get some exposure, with its mix of by-the-number originals and routine cover songs, combined with a general lack of polish, it was apparent that Festus Gunslinger still has a long way to go before the group will be ready to make the leap from regional club band to legitimate opening act.
by CNB