The Other Woman

by Stephen CookThe Other Woman was Ray Price's follow-up to his classic Night Life album and on it he continued to work the seasoned Texas honky tonk he and the Cherokee Cowboys had been perfecting since the mid-'50s -- this in the midst of his initial foray into the country pop style he would eventually embrace. With Cherokee alumni Buddy Emmons on guitar and pedal steel, Tommy Jackson on fiddle, and Buddy Harmon handling the drums, Price works some choice country terrain including a lazy shuffle rendition of the perennial "Born to Lose" and a show-stopping version of Floyd Tillman's "This Cold War With You." He turns in a smoldering version of the classic, blues-tinged "Funny How Time Slips Away," penned by one-time Cherokee Cowboy Willie Nelson. Price's famous shuffle beat style is still intact here, too, on the chart-topping title track, Hank Cochran's codependency nugget "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me," and a pair of Fred Carter gems -- "Too Much Love is Spoiling You" and "Rose Colored Glasses" -- all benefiting from Emmons' stellar pedal steel work. The album is rounded out by a touching version of the Patsy Cline hit "Unloved, Unwanted" and the beautiful waltz "The Last Letter." The Other Woman does not quite match the variety or song quality of Night Life, but the steady delivery of fine country material as well as the spacious Grady Martin production make for very enjoyable listening.