In a rare display of realness in music, Marcus Singletary Sings Country Music Standards features no vocal auto-tuning and was engineered with a single, open-air microphone positioned in the middle of the recording studio.  Cut in three days, its minimalism recalls Sam Phillips' Sun Records productions.  Of the project, Singletary says, "When I started out as a musician, auto-tune hadn't been invented yet, so you actually had to be able to sing and play well to get a gig, whereas, today, you can simply pay for the privilege - regardless of your talent level."The back-to-basics approach and refreshing pitch precision (all-too-rare in the age of televised singing competitions) are heard on covers of country music standards popularized by artists including Johnny Cash ("Folsom Prison Blues"), Elvis Presley ("Just Pretend") and Jim Croce ("You Don't Mess Around With Jim.")  Americana's origins are also explored with rousing, modernized renditions of Jimmie Rodgers' "Muleskinner Blues" and Hank Williams, Sr.'s 'You Win Again," and the album is bookended by interpretations of Charley Pride's "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" and a great hoedown-style take of John Fogerty's "Proud Mary" that Singletary states was inspired by the work of Glen Campbell.Generally regarded as a rocker from the American Heartland with a strong point of view, Marcus Singletary Sings Country Music Standards expands Singletary's appeal into mainstream markets by placing his talent, personality, and signature musical style front-and-center and on top of tunes that any person who enjoys music at all can sing along with.