Holdin' a Good Hand

1. We've Got It Made

2. I Still Look for You

3. Enough Already

4. Love Lying Next to Me

5. Whose Fool I Wanna Be

6. Holdin' a Good Hand

7. Just Like Me

8. Givin' Up the Ghost

9. Moment You Were Mine

10. Another Year of Love

Tracks:

We've Got It Made
I Still Look for You
Enough Already
Love Lying Next to Me
Whose Fool I Wanna Be
Holdin' a Good Hand
Just Like Me
Givin' Up the Ghost
Moment You Were Mine
Another Year of Love

Average customer rating:

In Good Hands
Overlooked album includes some great songs

Holdin' a Good Hand
Lee Greenwood
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000008U6A
Release Date: 1990-06-21

Tracks:

We've Got It Made
I Still Look for You
Enough Already
Love Lying Next to Me
Whose Fool I Wanna Be
Holdin' a Good Hand
Just Like Me
Givin' Up the Ghost
Moment You Were Mine
Another Year of Love

Customer Reviews:

In Good Hands.......2004-04-28

Prime Cuts: "Holding a Good Hand," "The Moment You Were Mine," "Enough Already"

As the 80s came to a close, Greenwood had already enjoyed a long tenure with MCA Records, albeit a hit studded one. However, things were getting a little too comfortable for this former CMA male vocalist. With his exaggerated vibrato and his penchant for over dramatized pop ballads, Greenwood was imbued with Kenny Rogers type balladry for far too long. Not surprising, this has generated into poor album sales and his last MCA product "If Only For One Night" failed to produce any memorable hit singles.

1990 saw Greenwood inked to the Jimmy Bowen helmed Capitol Records and also saw Greenwood reunite with his long time producer Jerry Crutchfield. "Holding a Good Hand," the title cut and lead single, is a vibrant, entrancing number about the importance of friendship in a relationship. Its sparse production over a jovial melody is a much welcomed hiatus from those over maudlin ballads that had characterized Greenwood's MCA catalogue. Warmly embraced by radio and rightly so, "Holding a Good Hand," the single, nesting on the lofty no. 2 position, giving Greenwood his first hit in the last couple of years.

In fact, an acoustic feel pervades throughout the entire album. Though the synth is still in used, its presence is more to complement rather than to crowd the music. Case in point is the guitar driven second single "We've Got It Made." "We've Got It Made," a Sandy Ramos and Bob Regan composition, is a punchy number paying homage to the importance of love over material possession. Equally delightful is another Ramos/Regan creation "Giving Up the Ghost (That's Haunting Me)." As the title suggests "Ghost" is a haunting number with a well constructed lyric and a memorable tune.

Fans who love to hear this husky voiced singer croon a love ballad need not fear. Here the ballads are all of top form, albeit more guitar driven than keyboard dominated. The highlight in the slower tempo department is the romantic "The Moment You Were Mine." Penned by Steve Dorff and Beth Neilsen Chapman, "The Moment You Were Mine" is post card perfect for a wedding. Further, Greenwood infuses each romantic line with warmth and sincerity.

On the other hand, "Enough Already" is a slow lament over the torturous nature of a broken heart. Replete with some excellent guitar pickings that underscore the emotional punch in Greenwood's vocals, "Enough Already" is again a winner. "Just Like Me," later covered by Greenwood's former duet partner Barbara Mandrell, is another weeper about a boy missing his mother. "Just Like Me" tugs at the heart in such a way that you may want to keep your Kleenex nearby with each listen. "Whose Fool I Wanna Be," the third single released from this set, is equally emotive though not as poignant as "Enough Already."

Though "Holding a Good Hand" boosts three charted singles: a number 2 hit and one top 40, such honors mysteriously did not translate into sales. In fact, the sale of the album was abysmal-only managing a meager 58 position for a lone week on the Billboard album chart, "Holding a Good Hand" was a commercial disappointment. Nevertheless, do not let the indigent sales figure deter you from getting this album. "Holding a Good Hand" is a fine return for Greenwood to more country/acoustic territory and it certainly could not silence pundits from heaping accolades on this superior product!

Overlooked album includes some great songs.......2004-04-22

Lee sings a collection of love songs, both up-tempo and ballads, in an easy-listening pop-country style. If you are familiar with his music (not counting his patriotic album and two Christmas albums), you'll know what to expect. Nothing wrong with that, of course, because Lee was so good at what he did.

My favorite songs here are We've got it made, the title track, Just like me (later covered by Barbara Mandrell for her album, It works for me) and The moment you were mine (first recorded by Juice Newton for her overlooked classic album, Ain't gonna cry, and since recorded by one of its co-writers, Beth Neilsen Chapman). However, the other songs are all wonderful and your favorites may be different.

Although this album is out of print, seven of its tracks have been re-released on albums that are available as I write this. Three appear on Best of Lee Greenwood (Liberty), these being We've got it made, Holding a good hand and Just like me - this is a compilation of his best recordings from his years with Liberty. Four others can be found on another Best of Lee Greenwood, released on Curb. This compilation has some tracks from his MCA years plus the four from this album (I still look for you, Enough already, Love lying next to me, Whose fool I wanna be). To the best of my knowledge, the last three tracks are not available elsewhere.

This is probably not the ideal place to begin a collection of Lee's music but shows what his music is like when he's not singing patriotic or Christmas songs. If you enjoy his big hits from the eighties, you should also enjoy this album.

Tracks

We've got it made
I still look for you
Enough already
Love lying next to me
Whose fool I wanna be
Holding a good hand
Just like me
Giving up the ghost (that's haunting me)
The moment you were mine
Another year of love

Element of Surprise
Average customer rating:
Element of Surprise

Manufacturer: Holdin' Our Own
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAJWHU
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Music Album:

Music Album