CHRISTMAS SPECIAL Only $7.69 Variety of 16 Traditional Songs ********** Country music has always been a huge part of my life. I was born and spent many years in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. I started playing music and singing professionally and joined my first band at age 17. My early influences were Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Hank Snow, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Sr. More recent influences have been George Strait, Randy Travis and Alan Jackson, and I enjoy music from the Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniel's Band and The Band. The songs on this album were selected by me over several months. They reflect my interest and passion of life. Among my favorites are a few ballads, country rock, serious, humourous, and Mexican flavored tunes. I have been fortunate to have had hit songs on the European charts and received praise from countries all over the world. These songs reflect my continuing interest in telling stories about the pain and joy of every-day life experiences by folks - wherever they live. I hope some of these songs touch your heart. ...Ronnie Masters ***************** Pete Smith's Reviews - The Advertiser (UK) Posted by Pete Smith on June 28, 2007 at 12:05:07: IP:62.31.255.105 The Advertiser (UK) – 15 June 2007 Born and raised in Newfoundland, Ronnie Masters first introduction to country music was at the age of five when he learned and sang the Blue sky Boys’ classic “The Knoxville Girl”. Fast forward twelve years and Ronnie founded his first band. Like most teenagers his taste in music at that time varied to include rock, blues and provincial folk, though country was always in the foreground. Master’s early influences were mostly legends; Williams, Jones, Haggard, Jennings and Snow and, as subsequent years proved, Ronnie learned his lessons well from these icons. In 1998 he cut his first album, “Honky Tonks And Steel Guitars”, and suddenly Ronnie was heard by a very wide audience as several songs were picked up by radio. Four years later (2002), “Sparks Among The Coals” built solidly upon that debut. Now signed with the California based RGO Records Ronnie Masters is set to reap the rewards for all the hard work he has put into deliver real country music to audiences world-wide with not one but two new albums. “More Precious Than Life” and “A Country Afternoon” featured sixteen songs each with the majority penned by hit writer Roy G. Ownbey, though Masters himself wrote seven of the collective 32. A variety of moods and sounds are included ranging from tender heart ballads to uptempo stories of life, slow waltzes to two-steps but whatever the mood or sound it is undeniably country. And of course to sustain a winning sound one needs excellent musicians and that is exactly what Ronnie has in veterans buddy Emmons and Sonny Garrish (steel), Rob Hajacos (fiddle), Leo Jackson, Fred Newell and Rob Galbraith (guitars) and Hargus “Pig” Robbins (piano). Check out the Roy Ownbey songs “Nothing Scares The Devil Out Of Me”, “Love Might Be The Death Of Me”, “I Ain’t Perfect” and “the Comeback Trail” and Master’s “”This Ring” and “Ride Boy Ride” (“More Precious Than Life”). Sample also “Corpus Christi Laid-Back Baby”, “A Country Afternoon”, “Every Night You Make My Day”, “Bound To Lose” and “Lonesome Town”. ***************** Country Music News. The Voice of Country Music in Canada Review by Larry Delaney Ronnie Masters is a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based singer. His two previous album releases have garnered some attention, especially on European radio…but judging by what you hear on these simultaneous album releases, its time fans on this side of the pond get to hear his music. And there’s no shortage of good music here with a collective 32 songs presented on these two albums, all delivered by Ronnie Masters with a plaintive, pure country, traditional vocal style which is reminiscent at times of Porter Wagoner and the recently departed Del Reeves. The majority of the songs featured on the two albums were written by San Diego, California songwriter Roy Ownbey; and ardent country music listeners will recognize many of them previously recorded by Nashville indie artists Darnell Miller and Steve Hill, as well as a few by Canucks Ray St. Germain and Didi Perry. The song Skeletons was even recorded by the late hitmaker Johnny Duncan…attesting to the overall strength of the material. Ronnie Masters capably delivers all of the songs, putting his own stamp on many while providing the best interpretation yet of the Roy Ownbey songbook. Ronnie Masters also shows signs of songwriting prowess, penning seven of the 32 songs, including Where Can I Go, which has been covered previously by Darnell Miller. There are literally too many good songs here to pick out favorites –but certainly the tunes Nashville, Tennessee, To Think I Thought You Loved Me, Toodle Oo Bad Luck Blues, Nothing Scares The Devil (Hell) Out Of Me and the bluesy The Days Never End (And The Nights Keep Coming Too Soon), deserve special mention as standouts. There are many others of equal merit. Ronnie Masters recorded his vocal tracks on these projects at Dartmouth’s DC Production studios, with instrumental tracks coming from sessions produced in Nashville’s Merit Studios with Grammy award-winner Tom Pick handling production. Session players featured include the likes of Sonny Garrish and Buddy Emmons on steel; Rob Hajacos (fiddle), Fred Newell and Greg Galbraith (guitars), Pig Robbins (piano), etc. all of whom add their signature touches to this large collection of material performed by Ronnie Masters.