Personnel: David Smith (bass guitar); Connie Smith, Lee Ann Womack, Mark Chesnutt, Rhonda Vincent, Vince Gill (background vocals); Bobby All (acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (electric guitar, gut-string guitar, dobro, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ); Gregg Galbraith (electric guitar); Sonny Garrish (steel guitar); Aubrey Haynie (mandolin, fiddle); Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano); Shannon Forrest, John Gardner (drums); Joe Nichols, Wes Hightower, Morgane Hayes (background vocals).
Additional personnel: Connie Smith, Lee Ann Womack, Mark Chesnutt, Rhonda Vincent, Vince Gill.
Audio Mixer: Craig White.
Recording information: Curb Studios, Nashville, TN; Studio 44, Nashville, TN.
Author: Gene Watson.
Photographer: Traci Goudie.
After recording several hits in the '70s and '80s for Capitol and MCA, traditional country vocalist Gene Watson, along with many of his influences like Merle Haggard and George Jones, started to disappear from the country charts as radio programmers began dictating trends and touting them as the "real thing." To his credit, Watson stuck to his guns; he continued to record throughout the '90s, putting out several gospel discs and seeing his early albums being reissued. On his first release for the Shanachie label, In a Perfect World, Watson carries on in the hard country tradition with a combination of hand-picked tunes and complementary vocal assistance from friends Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, Joe Nichols, Mark Chesnutt, Connie Smith, and Rhonda Vincent. Seven of the 11 tracks are new compositions, written mainly by songwriter Tim Mensy, while the rest are tried and true favorites, "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me," "Let Me Be the First to Go," "Today I Started Loving You Again," and "Together Again." In a Perfect World once again finds Gene Watson sticking to his guns and maintaining command of his roots. ~ Al Campbell
