Meet Glen Campbell

iTunes Review

A master of the 1960s-1970s countrypolitan sound that mixed country music’s traditional approach with pop instrumentation, Glen Campbell is the perfect country artist to interpret folk, rock and pop songs such as Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” Travis’ “Sing,” and the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These.” While Johnny Cash worked with producer Rick Rubin to strip modern rock songs down to their essentials, Campbell uses a team of producers to flesh these songs out with lush backing that occasionally hints at the orchestrated-string tension of his best work (“Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston”). Jackson Browne’s “These Days” retains its poignancy. Paul Westerberg’s “Sadly Beautiful” is delivered as a timeless ballad. The Velvet Underground’s “Jesus” becomes a country standard, while Tom Petty’s “Walls” and “Angel Dream” benefit from Campbell’s warm, sincere delivery. There isn’t a misstep here. Just quality songs delivered by a true entertainment professional who never settles for irony. U2’s “All I Want is You” sounds as if it were written for Campbell. John Lennon’s “Grow Old With Me” resounds as the closing hymn that Lennon had always envisioned.