Track Listing

1. There Goes My Heart
2. What A Crying Shame
3. Pretend
4. I Should Have Been True
5. Things You Said To Me
6. Just A Memory
7. All That Heaven Will Allow
8. Neon Blue
9. O What A Thrill
10. Ain't Found Nobody
11. Losing Side Of Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87844 in Music
• Released on: 1994-08-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
What A Crying Shame is more commercial and conventional than its debut predecessor, but every bit as enjoyable. Raul Malo has such a terrific voice that he can wear his broken heart on his sleeve without lapsing into self-pity. In fact, the very act of confessing his hurt seems to charge him with rocking excitement, especially when he gets a melodic hook as juicy as that on the title track or the Roy Orbison tribute, "I Should Have Been True". Trisha Yearwood sings harmony on the saloon ballad "Neon Blue" and the band turns Bruce Springsteen's "All That Heaven Will Allow" into the honky-tonk shuffle it was always meant to be. --Geoffrey Himes

CD Description
You can wear the hat and cop the pose, but can you walk thewalk and talk that talk? The Mavericks can. In a climate ofempty Stetsons and canned corn, The Mavericks hearken back to a time when rock and roll and country first began to dance (were they ever really that far apart?). A time when the songs musicians sang and the lives they led were one and the same.
WHAT A CRYING SHAME is a classic that's built for the long haul. The Mavericks possess a slamming, authentic Southern rhythm section, featuring Nick Kane's tasty, idiomatic guitar, some of the classiest leads this side of James Burton. And in Raul Malo they highlight one of the most distinctive voices in all of country. Listen to "The Things You Said To Me" with its definitive Elvis/Big Joe Turner rock and roll groove, Kane's twangy chord melody solo, the hokey "Teddy Bear" rhythm hits by the chorus, and Malo's rich moans andhollers.
There's nothing nostalgic or sappy about the Mavericks' arrangement; this is music lived in and alive and timeless. Their Tex-Mex cover of Bruce Springsteen's "All That Heaven Will Allow" and the closing stomper "The Losing Side Of Me" only serve to reinforce The Mavericks' stature as aband you can go honky tonkin' with--these good old boys be dancing.
But the greatness of a country singer is most often measured on ballads, and it's here that Malo's rich, stylised vocals really shine through. "Neon Blue" is a righteous honky tonk ballad augmented by tragic steel flourishes, and check out that tremulous little throb in Malo's voice on "Pretend" ("I don't want to be a memory or a friend/Darlin' you don't have to love me/Just pretend"), as fiddle fills recall their last dance. But then every song on WHAT A CRYING SHAME has an authoritative resonance all its own, and if you find yourself thinking about the great Roy Orbison and ElvisPresley on the title tune, well, go on now.

Customer Reviews

An excellent mix of modern and traditional country
This is arguably the most country of the Mavericks albums yet there are already hints of their desire to draw on other influences, as they do in later albums. Kostas who contributes a great deal of songs to a number of Dwight Yoakam albums co-writes 6 songs (4 with Raul Malo and one with legendary country songsmith Harlan Howard) Raul Malo's songwriting is also to the fore. He manages to retain simple lyrics (note 'Just A Memory', 'What a Crying Shame' and 'There Goes My Heart' without ever becoming trite. The album starts with 'There Goes My Jeart' which is reminiscent of some of Buck Owens work. There are leanings towards a sound of Buck Owens, Dwight Yoakam and even Roy Orbison ('What A Crying Shame', 'I Should Have Been True' and 'Oh What A Thrill' - the latter written by Jese Winchester) interspersed throughout the album. 'Pretend' sounds like a song that Dwight Yoakam could easily cover should he wish. 'The Things You said to me', demonstrates the Mavericks ability to switch effortlessly between musical styles showcasing a rockabilly style also demonstrated on the last song on the album 'The Losing Side of me'. For good measure they also include a great version of Bruce Springsteens 'All That Heaven Will Allow'. For me the standout song on the album is 'Neon Blue' co-written by Kostas and Pete Anderson - a traditional country heartbreaker. Incidentally, in the CD liner notes the background to the lyrics of 'Neon Blue' shows a poster of a heart with the words El Corazon underneath - is this where Steve Earle got the idea for his album title?

Overall a great mix of modern and traditional sounds completely interwoven. An excellent album and one I would thoroughly recommend.

the best of the Mavericks
This is pretty well my best of the Mavericks, the one album that's got all my favourite tracks. If you like early Roy Orbison you'll love this. What a singer Raul Malo is! Sort of retro, but not; sort of country but more. What more can I say? Tears, Speechless! (private joke)

Their most popular album in America
Two of the founder members of Mavericks were fans of traditional country music from Florida who knew that they had to play a different style of music to make a living. Their early albums, including this one, were clearly influenced by traditional country but not limited by it. While there are traditional instrument here including fiddle and steel guitar, the credits also include congas, tambourine, organ and other non-country instruments. Nevertheless, the overall feel of this album is country and should please all but the most die-hard traditionalists.

With Raul Malo's superb voice and classic songs such as the title track and There goes my heart, this became (and has remained) their most successful album in America. Most of the songs are originals but the album includes fine cobers of O what a thrill (Jesse Winchester) and All that heaven will allow (Bruce Springsteen). Other highlights include Neon blue (with Trisha Yearwood on backing vocals), Pretend and I should have been true.

Although my favorite Mavericks album is the one that followed this (Music for all occasions) and the one after that (Trampoline) provided the Mavericks with a huge new British fan base, I rate this album very highly.