Marty Robbins - Story of My Life - The Best of 1952- 1965

Marty Robbins is best known, of course, for his tale of romance, murder and death in the old West in his crossover hit, "El Paso". But, he did much more in many different styles as is evidenced in this compilation CD.

Opening with the old school country, pedal-steel stylings of "I'll Go On Alone" and "I Couldn't Keep From Crying", moving on to the upbeat "I Can't Quit", with its barrel house piano, another crossover, "Singing the Blues" (a hit for both Marty and Guy Mitchell), which does mix pop, blues and country, some rockin' blues in "Knee Deep in the Blues", a 50's pop hit with "A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)", some silly pop with "The Story of my Life", kinda pop/rockabilly in "Just Married", and some white doo-wop in "Stairway of Love".

The Mexican soap opera of "El Paso" follows, and the story seems to kinda continue in "Big Iron", there a nice country blues in "Don't Worry" that has the extra added touch of some fuzz bass when the legendary Grady Martin's 6 string electric bass' amp malfunctioned and they decided to keep it in, "It's Your World" has cool, country piano work, "Devil Woman" references the Tex-Mex musical styling of "El Paso", "Ruby Ann" is more rock'n'roll, with nice guitar work, "Begging to You" is a yodeling country ballad, he gives a tale about judging a book by its cover in "The Cowboy in the Continental Suit" and closes with a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Ribbon of Darkness".

Definitely moving in different genres throughout his career, still, Robbins kept a pop-country sound to all he did. I wouldn't call this essential, but it's a nice collection.