Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Those who know their country music will tell you that Vernon is the nearest thing the scene has to the plaintive '50s sound of Hank Williams. Though younger listeners may find Vernon's nasal vocal style simply too evocative of the sounds of yesteryear for comfortable listening, I have long enjoyed Vernon's infrequent visits to the studio. Here his wistful ways with songs like "If Kisses Could Talk" and "Gonna Ease My Worried Mind" with their old style fiddles and peddle steel gave the album a nostalgic glow. 'The Oxford Touch' was first released in 1980 on Rich-R-Tone but in truth it's music from another era of country, and wonderful too. Now let's hope someone puts out a DVD of that amazing TV documentary of Vernon taking the Gospel into Ireland's infamous Maze prison.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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