THE AUTHORIZED ROY ORBISON

Peppered with a handful of welcome original music snippets, this memoir of West Texas's favorite son, singer-songwriter Roy Orbison, is written and narrated by his three surviving sons. The Orbisons provide a raw, honest, fascinating portrait. The audio experience is at once lacking and wonderful in that it provides a very real feel of what the late rock icon's writing style and vocal inflection may well have been had he had the opportunity to shape the writing and narration. A weakness is that there is a lot more factual detail than insight into the beloved performer in dark glasses. Stylishly, the brothers alternate voicing when direct quotes are used, a nice touch. The story includes great triumph and equally great tragedy. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2017]