“Reckless Love And Bold Adventure” marked the welcome return to recording of a true pioneer of West Coast Country music – Rose Maddox. Prior to its original issue in 1975, Rose had not recorded for more than half a decade, partly because of health problems but mostly because she was seen as something of a ‘yesterday’s woman’, whose best career years were behind her.
The album proves that nothing could be further from the truth. A carefully chosen mix of Maddox originals, new material specially composed for Rose and some recent country chart biggies found her in extremely fine voice indeed. The strength in her own performances was enhanced by a superb musical backup that featured, among others, former Byrds and Country Gazette fiddler Byron Berline and the gifted, but tragically doomed, steel guitarist Wayne Gailey, who had first played with Rose more than 12 years earlier on her magnificent “Rose Maddox Sings Bluegrass” album.
Unfortunately, this well rounded LP did not restore Rose’s chart fortunes, but it did provide the impetus for her to maintain a career as a Grammy-nominated ‘roots’ artist for another 20+ years. Out of print in the USA for far too many years, and never issued at all in the UK, it’s now receiving a long overdue CD release through Ace that will, we hope, please both long-time Maddox fans and those who have come to know her work in more recent times.
By Tony Rounce
