It was a miraculous pleasure that recently I had the joy of reviewing a new album by a classic singer that re-created honest, pure, country gold, in a brand new outing, that redefined again what should be thought of as classic country music. With my present addiction to hearing SOMETHING off of "Connie Smith's" latest release every day since I received it, I thought the chances of this sort of lightning, from this sort of artist, striking twice, was less than me winning the Powerball. Twice.

I was wrong.

"Bill Anderson's" latest release is the genuine article. The bona fide country disc. The...the...Ok...insert 5,000 synonyms for quintessential here, and admit that if you claim to love country music at all, and don't barrel out and get this album, it's a flat out musical sin. From the man who 30-odd years ago penned such classics as "Satin Sheets," and recorded such classics as his still-legendary "Still," a new set of 11 songs shows that this man has aged more than gracefully. He has even improved; thus making the album's title perhaps the most appropriate one to be seen this year. Or maybe any other year.

All of the songs are put together like Swiss watches. Not a note or a lyric out of place, and the inventive wordplay and incredible turns of phrase are flat-out dazzling. The opening cut, "A Good Love And A Bottle Of Wine" is but one example of this. Bill is evidently referring to himself when he sings (and writes) "...He listens to Garth and Listens to Reba...but he misses Lefty...and Hank." How refreshing that Bill can look back in loving memory of country music's past without feeling a dire need to completely trash the present.

Bill has also chosen crackerjack people to craft these special, wonderful songs with him. His brilliant and touching story song, "The Paper," was co-written by Hal Ketchum. Other co-writers on this phenomenal album include Lee And Womack, and last year's CMA champ, Steve Wariner. "Forgiveness" is so plaintively heartbreaking this reviewer almost couldn't listen to all of it for the pain it dug up. "Now That's Love" takes the tired formula of different kinds of parental devotion down an inventive, touching road. "Before" could be one of Bill's classic songs of regret from the early 60's. It is almost facetiously redundant to go through every track because every song is just simply a rock-solid 3 1/2 minute (or so) work of art.

But one song captures the reason that everyone should run and get this album. The other 10 of the 11 songs could be fodder or cow manure or Bill singing phone numbers and this one song would be worth the price of 10 CDs, much less one.

Due to the technology of overdubbing, and the guesting of the living members of this Quintet, a reunion of everyone who has had a major hit of the classic "Tips Of My Fingers," which mighty Bill penned himself, is bone chilling. This reviewer replayed it EIGHT times before lettign my CD player advance. The indescribable magic of hearing Roy Clark, Jean Shepard, Eddy Arnold, Steve Wariner and Bill himself, all contribute to one mighty version of this tune, is so good its almost alarming. Makes one almost scared, because you'd never think another song could ever be this good again. Granted, that immediate reaction must wear off, but it doesn't wear off much.

Bill probably knows as well as this reviewer that some of those folks worshipping Garth and Reba don't even KNOW who Eddy Arnold or Jean Sheperd are. Or Even Bill himself for that matter, except that he has been a host of a gaggle of TV shows, including the country Music trivia show "Fandango" (The words you are reading have been written by a four-time champion of that show by the way.)

This album defines must-buy. So you must-buy it now. Now. Go.