Suzie: Hickory Anthology

COLLECTION OF THE QUEEN OF NASHVILLE POP! "Although this 26-track compilation does have all five of Thompson's Top 40 pop hits ("Norman," "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)," "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)," "Paper Tiger," and "Have a Good Time"), it's not a career-spanning best-of. It just covers her work at the Hickory label in the early to mid-'60s, leaving her subsequent country-oriented material for the company untouched. Because of its thorough look at her early Hickory years, however, it might be a more preferable listen for pop/rock-oriented fans than the chronologically wider-ranging (though shorter) The Very Best of Sue Thompson on Varese Sarabande, which tagged on a bunch of her duets with Don Gibson. Thompson is most known for her rather novelty-oriented polka-tempoed hits "Norman" and "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)," but in fact much of her output was very much in the orchestrated pop/rock and country field Brenda Lee was ploughing in the same era. You get both sides of the coin on this CD, and the Brenda Lee-like stuff actually holds up better." - Richie Unterberger & allmusic.com