Have a Good Time for Me

Due to the peculiarities of the music business, Jonathan Edwards’ Have a Good Time for Me was considered a pop/rock album when it was released in 1973, but in sound and spirit it anticipates the ‘80s country radio hits of Ricky Skaggs and Dan Seals, among others. Edwards may not have found himself in the appropriate record bin but these tunes are right on the money artistically. Though the Minnesota-born singer/songwriter relies on songs by other writers, he easily makes them fit his warm and mellow style. The wistfulness of Edwards’ tenor comes through in “King of Hearts, “Have Yourself a Good Time for Me” and especially the haunting “Angelina.” In “Sit Down Rock and Roll Man,” his normally earthy vocals reach ethereal heights. More down-home and hard-driving are “Thirty Miles to Go” and a cover of Jimmie Rodgers’ “Travelin’ Blues.” Edwards returns to his bluegrass roots for a galloping take on “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder” and turns in a credible honkytonk-style performance on “Places I’ve Been.” Have a Good Time for Me was genuinely ahead of its time — and sounds pretty much timeless today.