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Editorial Reviews

Koch's 2005 release A Family Affair is not strictly a Carl Butler compilation. Instead, if features 14 husband-wife duets by Butler and his spouse Pearl and is rounded off with five cuts by the similar husband-wife team Johnny & Jonie Mosby. All of this material is straight-ahead honky tonk cut in the '60s, and while it doesn't break out of the genre -- it's all mid-tempo two-steps and barroom ballads, with the occasional breezy novelty number -- it's all well done and sometimes exceptional. Given that the Butlers have three times as many tracks on this comp as the Mosbys, it's not a surprise that they make a stronger impression -- there's simply more of their music to absorb -- but they also have the better songs, highlighted by the hits "Honky Tonkitis," "Too Late to Try Again," and "Don't Let Me Cross Over," as well as "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning," later popularized by Gram Parsons (it makes its CD debut here). While the Mosbys don't have any songs quite as indelible as those, their five contributions are sturdy, engaging early-'60s honky tonk and are a nice additions to this enjoyable disc. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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