Mel Tillis - Memory Maker: The Best Of The MGM Years

On November 19 2017 the country music world lost one of its greats,
Mel Tillis. Aged 85, Mel's final studio album was 2010's You Ain't Gonna Believe This - a collection that highlighted his comic ability alongside his musical dexterity.

The release arrived 44 years after his debut album, Stateside (unless you count 1962's 'best of' compilation Walk On Boy), and 53 years after his debut single Honky Tonk Song. Now to mark his illustrious career, Humphead Country have released Memory Maker: The Best of the MGM Years.

Having not signed to MGM Records until after his debut album was released, the album does not greatly explore his early recordings, although 1968's Who's Julie, which appeared on the Kapp Records release of the same name is the earliest highlight and a not to be missed inclusion.

While some may hanker after his formative years, which have been documented in various other releases, the beauty of Memory Maker is that it centres primarily on the period that could be deemed Mel's peak.

That being said, although disc 2 opens with his debut #1 I Ain't Never, the collection selectively bypasses Good Woman Blues, Heart Healer, I Believe In You and Coca Cola Cowboy in favour of more insight into his personal favourites, album stand outs and forgotten gems. The retrospective collection is all the stronger for these creative choices as it reveals the true diversity and depth of a late great's artistry.