Also available in a 3-pack with WILD-EYED DREAM and LOVING PROOF.
Personnel: Ricky Van Shelton (vocals, guitar); Steve Gibson (guitar, mandolin); Larry Byrom, Mark Casstevens (guitar); Paul Franklin , Tommy Hannum (steel guitar); Mark O'Connor (fiddle); Joey Miskulin (accordion); Randy McCormick, Barry Beckett (piano); Farrell Morris (vibraphone); Roy M. "Junior" Husky (upright bass); Eddie Bayers, Tommy Wells (drums); John Wesley Tyles, John Wesley Ryles, Lisa Silver, Bergen White, Louis Dean Nunley, Dennis Wilson (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Marshall Morgan.
Recording information: Dog House; Nightingale Recording Studio, Nashville, TN; Omni Sound Recording; The Dog House.
Photographer: Alan Messer.
Arranger: Bergen White.
With his 1990 album RVS III, country star Ricky Van Shelton completed his hat trick (no pun intended) by releasing three consecutive number one country albums. For the most part Van Shelton, being no fool, achieved this feat by sticking to the template he'd established on his first two albums: a couple of honky-tonk-flavored tunes, a quick rockabilly romp, a few classic country covers, and a generous helping of the heart-on-sleeve ballads that made him famous.
The remarkable thing is that he continues to follow this format with no drop in quality; like its predecessors, RVS III is remarkably consistent. If anything, Van Shelton's vocal delivery has matured considerably. His soulful interpretation of Charlie Rich's "Life's Little Ups and Down," for instance, indicates his continued growth as a singer, and marks his upward artistic progression. And listening to him sing "Oh Pretty Woman," one could almost be forgiven for thinking the ghost of Roy Orbison had wandered into the room.
