Skeeter Davis & NRBQ “She Sings, They Play” (1985): <i> Rounder</i>

Country singer Skeeter Davis (“The End of the World”) must have stumbled through a tear in the space-time continuum to have wound up in the company of NRBQ, possibly the world’s zaniest collection of pop-music virtuosos.

Still, the dozen songs on this album bear out her assertion in the liner notes: “I feel this album . . . is one of the milestones for me on my journey through life”--not a small claim for one who toured with Elvis Presley and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1959. From the whimsical “Ain’t Nice to Talk Like That” to the sprightly romanticism of “Someday My Prince Will Come,” this is an ideal matchup of ingenuous singing and fat-free instrumental support. Heck, something must have clicked--after these sessions, Davis married Q bassist Joey Spampinato. They’ve lived happily ever after, as should anyone who surrenders to the considerable charms of this album.

MORE CLASSICS:

Joe Ely, “Joe Ely” (1977), MCA

Tim Buckley, “Goodbye and Hello” (1967), Elektra

Van Morrison, “Saint Dominic’s Preview” (1972), Warner Brothers

The Dwight Twilley Band, “Sincerely” (1975), Shelter

The J. Geils Band, “Full House” (1972), Atlantic

The Partridge Family, “Greatest Hits” (1989), Arista

Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Cosmo’s Factory” (1970), Fantasy