See You There

While Glen Campbell was recording his "final" studio album—knowing in advance that Alzheimer's disease would take his memories and his musical talents soon after the final farewell tour—he sang some old hits for posterity's sake and had a few newer tracks left over. These recordings have been assembled here by producers Dave Darling and Dave Kaplan, who strip the strings from such classic Campbell songs as "Wichita Lineman," "Gentle on My Mind," "Galveston," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and "Rhinestone Cowboy." In their place are a variety of instruments, with acoustic guitars and sparse fiddles, Dobros, pedal steel, and keyboards filling in behind a voice that still evokes memories of long-past decades. Campbell leaves not a dry eye in the house as he labors over certain phrasings that used to come naturally. Songs like "Postcard from Paris," two versions of "Waiting on the Comin' of My Lord," and "What I Wouldn't Give" evoke a life that's passing into its final stages. It's impossible to not be moved.