A legend worthy of the label scoffs at Father Time
Now pushing 80, Porter Wagoner is best known today as Dolly Parton’s former duet partner, but that’s just a piece of the story. The rail-thin Missouri crooner debuted on the country charts in the mid ’50s, and headlined his own music series on TV in the ’60s and ’70s, cutting a striking figure with a sleek blond pompadour and ?ashy Nudie suits. A restless stylist, Wagoner ranged in his prime from rural corn to a smooth countrypolitan approach to downright weirdness, which also holds true on this terrific new album. Though suffused with fond nostalgia, Wagonmaster is no weary farewell a la Johnny Cash’s final works. With the trusty Marty Stuart producing, Wagoner sounds vital and confident, whether tackling hard honky-tonk (“Be a Little Quieter”) or delivering one of his trademark sentimental recitations (“Albert Erving”); even the cover of Cash’s bleak mental-ward tale “Committed to Parkview” brims with youthful vigor.