The Duets

Duets, Ronnie’s twenty-eighth major label album produced by Ronnie and Rob Galbraith, was released on the eve of Ronnie’s 76th birthday by Riser House Records. It kicks off with something unexpected: a heavy, clanking blues stomp assisted by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, who is only too happy to salute “Southern Boys and Detroit Wheels” with the country singer.  Frequently throughout the album, Milsap and his partners favor the smooth and familiar, playing such big hits as “Stranger in My House,” “Happy Happy Birthday,” “Lost in the Fifties,” or “Smokey Mountain Rain.” The latter is distinguished by a game appearance by Dolly Parton, who hits the sweet spot between crowd-pleasing and interpretation. Kacey Musgraves hits that too with “No Getting Over Me” — hearing her on this simmering, soulful piece of country-pop — but a lot of the other highlights find Milsap connecting with straight roots of some sort: singing hardcore country with George Strait on “Houston Solution,” skipping through the twilight with Willie Nelson on a “A Woman’s Love,” and getting down and dirty with Leon Russell on “Misery Loves Company.” Listened to as a whole, Duets is an amiable, enjoyable testament to the many different facets of Ronnie Milsap. (AllMusic)