tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77295022024-03-05T02:01:02.291-07:00Jim's Country Music ReviewsA Collection of news bits, promos, reviews about todays country ,bluegrass, alt/country scene. Just a Thought, Have you ever seen the world like this, Look To Jesus
Jimguit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.comBlogger471125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-38969991954255804852020-03-14T01:35:00.000-07:002020-03-14T01:35:26.746-07:00Marshall Tucker Band - Live! Englishtown, NJ - 9/3/77 - A review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a perfect day for a concert, and what a venue, right beside the Englishtown, NJ, race track. It was a hot late summers' afternoon. My friends and I pulled into the outskirts of Englishtown, and decided to park a good walk away, because we asked and heard that the small town was full of cars, and people were paying to park on peoples' front yards. <br />
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<strong> So, we walked about thirty - forty five minutes to Raceway park, right beside where the concert was going to be. It was a huge area surrounded by eighteen wheeler trailers for a fence, and the huge stage which took up a large area in the front at the bottom a very large slowly descending hill. Besides the speakers on the stage, there were several large stacks of speakers scattered across the side of the hill for the people who were further back like myself. People were lying on blankets or standing around talking, My friends and I had missed the "New Riders Of The Purple Sage", a country rock group who had opened up the show. All of a sudden, there arose a large commotion, and The Marshall Tucker Band came out around Three in the afternoon, and started their set. We could not see or hear the group at first, You could barely hear the music where we were hanging out and there were several people behind us, There was an estimated one hundred and fifty thousand people there. It was a very mellow crowd, people enjoying what they knew was a very special moment that afternoon. It took awhile for the sound to get loud enough for the whole crowd to hear the MTB. </strong></div>
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<strong> Finally the sound got straightened out and the band sounded great as they played several of their popular songs from that era, both the Grateful Dead who Marshall Tucker was opening for and Marshall Tucker were playing in the peak of their careers , so it was quite an experience. The CD is a copy of a soundboard tape for the MTB, so the sound quality is not that good. The volume of the recording was the same volume thruout the show, and the quality of the recording improves as the show goes on. The set ends with a rousing "24 Hours At a Time" and The Encore is "Can't You See"(a killer version) This is definitely a must have if you were at the historic show. Marshall Tucker did not release a lot of Live material.</strong></div>
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<strong> <a href="http://www.marshalltucker.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.marshalltucker.com</span></a><span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span></span></strong></div>
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guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-43087947236701512762014-10-27T01:04:00.000-07:002014-10-27T01:04:51.221-07:00Charlie Daniels - Live At Keswick Theatre - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong> The Charlie Daniels Band pulled into Glenside and were loaded for bear. I have not seen Charlie since 1981 at the Mann Music Center. There was a local band that opened up for them, The crowd were not really getting into them, I had never heard of them, but the crowd were there to see the CDB. </strong></div>
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<strong> People that had a meet and greet with Charlie did that during the first act's</strong></div>
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<strong>set. Charlie did his meet and greets in his bus which was neat. Mr. Daniels has always been an outspoken man about his beliefs in Christianity, and his political ideas. In my short time with him, I was really impressed with him, He is a very kind and sincere man. </strong></div>
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<strong> By the time everyone got back inside, The opening act was finished and they were setting up for the CDB which did not take long, and they had brought more than the average rock group to the Keswick, which has it's own PA system. They added a stack of speakers which went almost to the ceiling of the Theatre. They started out loud, I really did not expect him to still be playing full volume at his age, but the band was on full tilt rock, it took a couple of songs to get the sound dialed in. After the sound was right, the band really sounded good. They did the "Wooley Swamp", it sounded just like the record, Charlie's voice sounds just as strong and clear as it did thirty five years ago. His guitar playing sounded better, if anything than before. </strong></div>
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<strong> I was unfamiliar with a lot of his new material, as I was really into him in the seventies. He did sing "Long Haired Country Boy", which got the place jumping. He brought the house down with a magnificent version of "How Great Thou Art", starting out with just himself and an acoustic guitar, bringing in the whole band by the end. It was just so beautiful and done so full of meaning, and reverently. The CDB sounds just as good or better than ever.</strong></div>
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<strong> <wbr></wbr> <a href="http://www.charliedaniels.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.charliedaniels.com</span></a> </strong></div>
<br />guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-74770224558747567592014-10-20T01:56:00.001-07:002014-10-20T01:56:50.405-07:00"Pull Your Savior In" - The Larry Stephenson Band - a review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, first off, this band is celebrating their 25th anniversary with this bluegrass/gospel CD. This recording majors on their vocals. Larry Stephenson sings lead, harmony and plays mandolin. Colby Laney sings lead and harmony vocals and plays guitar. Kenny Ingram sings harmony vocals, plays banjo and some lead guitar on one song. Danny Stewart sings bass vocal on a song and plays acoustic bass.<br />
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<strong> Jimmy Fortune, guest artist sings tenor vocal on a song. Aubrey Haynie plays fiddle. David Parmley and Dale Perry sing harmony vocals. Kristen Scott Benson played her first stint on banjo with this group at age 19. She played another stint with them a few years later. This album was produced by Ben Surrat and Larry Stephenson. </strong></div>
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<strong> This is a very well produced CD. The first song is an accapello version of "Amazing Grace." This is a song that everyone likes, but for some reason, it just does not move me. However, the next two songs "Pull Your Saviour In" and "Come To Jesus Moment" are two sensational gospel songs. I mean, the lyrics, the singing are all great. They kind of just stick with you. There is a good version of the "Great Speckled Bird". Other traditional songs done well are "How Great Thou Are" and "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning". Overall, it is a refreshing gospel album, that does a great balance of gospel and bluegrass. They sound like they are a really good bluegrass group. This album comes out this week on Oct. 21. You can get a copy at their website or at Amazon. </strong></div>
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<strong> <wbr></wbr> <a href="http://www.larrystephensonband.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.larrystephensonband.com</span></a> </strong></div>
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-55973611823265329312014-09-13T01:26:00.000-07:002014-09-13T13:58:27.011-07:00"The View" - The Roys - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong> On Sept. 2,2014, The Roys released their new bluegrass CD, "The View". The beautiful cover art of this CD will definitely catch your eye showing Lee and his sister Elaine on the porch of a beautiful cabin, tree covered view behind them.</strong></div>
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<strong> They have been making successful bluegrass CDs since 2011, starting with "Lonesome Whistle". They have a faithful following of fans to their melodic style of bluegrass with Christian songs mixed in. </strong></div>
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<strong> On this CD ,they did some things differently, Lee did all of the recording himself and they used the instruments played by their own band members, instead of studio musicians. Also, every song is written by them, sometimes with the help of others. It came out real well, the playing of his own road band is surprisingly good, as Lee is a well talented mandolin player. </strong></div>
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<strong> There are a total of eleven tracks and the final track is with the help of Doyle Lawson about Bill Monroe, called "The Mandolin Man". </strong></div>
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<strong> Daniel Patrick on banjo and dobro is surprisingly good. On "Northern Skies",an instrumental, Lee plays some exciting mandolin parts, which have an original sound. He gets some beautiful tone out out of his mandolins. Clint White plays very good fiddle. Erik Alvar does a very good job with his bass parts. </strong></div>
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<strong> The CD has a good variety of mellow, original bluegrass songs. My favorites are "Sometimes", "Live The Life You Love", an upbeat song, Really like "The View", a real nice slow ballad by Elaine. It is slow and wistful. A really nice ballad featuring Elaine. "No More Tears Left To Cry" is a really well crafted song with some great dobro by Daniel. </strong></div>
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<strong> Overall, The View is one of the best CDs, put out by the Roys.</strong></div>
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<strong> <a href="http://www.theroysonline.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.theroysonline.com</span></a><span class="HOEnZb"><span style="color: #888888;"> </span></span></strong></div>
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-28706345412717363972014-07-06T03:10:00.000-07:002014-07-06T03:10:49.778-07:00"Flatt Lonesome Too" - Flatt Lonesome -A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong> Flatt Lonesome had a great debut CD. It is very hard to come out with a good follow up to a great CD like theirs In fact, the second CD is always a hard item for a group to put out.</strong></div>
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<strong> Well, Too does not disappoint, they sound even tighter with all new material. Their Dobro player Mike really sounds great, coming out with some real melodious playing. Both Buddy's vocals and guitar playing have improved. This group plays with real great dynamics, not going full tilt all of the time, but doing some real nice playing with their instruments. Buddy has a couple of real nice guitar solos on this CD. Kelsi and Charli's vocals sound even better than before. I really like their harmony's on "I Can't Be Bothered Any More". Kelsi sounds great on the slow ballad "Make It Through The Day". </strong></div>
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<strong> "He Still Hears"</strong> is <strong>a very good gospel song that is full of emotion. Their harmonies are so moving and intricate. Another great gospel song with great instrumental breaks is "I'm Ready Now". Mike tears it up on the Dobro and Buddy plays a hot guitar break. A song with a very catchy melody and great vocals is "I Thought You Were Someone I Knew", an upbeat heart break bluegrass ballad.</strong></div>
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<strong> There is like a wow factor to this CD, really have not figured it out yet, whether it is the production or that sibling thing with Buddy, Kelsi and Charli. Maybe it is the excellent playing on the instruments. These are not studio musicians, these are the same young folk in the group, no one else. By the way ,you can really hear the Bass well on this CD and Dominic really plays some solid bass for the foundation. A lot of bluegrass groups add drums and percussion to their CDs. You don't need that, maybe that is why this is so special. This year it really looks like they are building some great momentum and a larger fan base on the long festival trek. That is hard work, These Bluegrass musicians are hard workers, plus it is hot out there in the afternoon when they do their first set. I can't see why this CD would not win some kind of IBMA award or even a grammy, it is excellent. Plus, these are all new songs, no cover songs, just new and original material. Paul Harrigill wrote two songs and helped out with another song. Sorry, I forgot to mention his excellent banjo pickin, He can play. Kelsi wrote a song and helped out with another one. Twelve very good songs, no filler material. I never skip anything, just put it on and play it through, love to listen to it in my car. </strong></div>
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<strong> These young folk put out a great example, They are professing Christians as are a lot of Bluegrass musicians. They dress very well at their shows, I wish them all the best. Last, but not least, the artwork and pictures on the on the CD Cover are done very well. Hope, that I get to see them someday, I live just a little too far off of the circuit. The only place around here that showcases Bluegrass is Sellersville Theatre where I have seen Mountain Heart, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder and The Grascals, all shows that I loved. I will say, don't miss Ricky Skaggs, He has an awesome band, and still puts on a super show. He packed out the place twice in one day. You can preorder the CD off of their website, at their label or on Amazon.</strong></div>
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<strong> <a href="http://www.flattlonesome.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.flattlonesome.com</span></a> <a href="http://www.crossroadsmusic.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.crossroadsmusic.com</span></a> </strong></div>
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-8872256096816425632014-04-13T03:19:00.001-07:002014-04-13T03:19:29.746-07:00"Off The Grid - Doin' It Dylan" - Charlie Daniels Band - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, this is different for the Charlie Daniels Band. Some of the<br /> first sessions work on the guitar, that Daniels did when he moved to<br /> Nashville was for Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" album. Charlie was<br /> just supposed to fill in for a day for a guitarist who did not show<br /> up. Dylan wanted Charlie to keep playing, not the guy who didn't show<br /> up. In fact ,Charlie kept playing for him on Dylan's next two albums<br /> done in Nashville. Daniels said that Dylan and him got along and he<br /> was easy to work with. So Charlie thought that He would do a tribute<br /> album for Dylan.<br /><br /> The sound is refreshing ,acoustic ,bouncy , Daniels vocals sound as<br /> good as ever. For me, I really had always been a fan of Dylan's songs,<br /> but not his versions. Charlie's vocals were mixed loud enough that it<br /> was easy to hear the words and appreciate the meaning of the songs,<br /> Charlie really enunciated the versing well, it showed that He truly<br /> loved the songs, and I really understood the meaning of the songs, for<br /> the first time, plus you can really hear joy in Daniel's singing. The<br /> band is like a folk, bluegrass band, with drums, harmonica, some<br /> mandolin and sweet Dobro. I'm sure that Daniels still misses Taz, the<br /> last member of his original band, who passed away not too long ago.<br /> There is a lot of piano in the mix, in fact , it is one of the<br /> dominant instruments. It is an interesting mix of Dylan songs, Some<br /> upbeat, some serious, a couple sad, really something for everyone to<br /> relate to.<br /><br /> He starts up with a real upbeat version of "Tangled Up in Blue",<br /> He puts a real interesting fiddle riff in the song to keep it moving.<br /> He does upbeat versions, but serious versions of "Hard Rain Going to<br /> Fall" and "The Times They Are a Changing".<br /><br /> Daniels said that he learned a lot from playing on Dylan's<br /> recordings that later he learned some things about leading his own<br /> band. Dylan was all about a sense of freedom and letting a musician<br /> play what he wanted to play ,rather than tell him every phrase. Other<br /> songs on the CD are "You are Going to have to serve Somebody", "Just<br /> Like a Woman", and the Manfred Mann Hit,<br /> "The Mighty Quinn", and I think my favorite is his version of "I<br /> Shall be Released". Charlie Daniels has become a man who is a hard<br /> worker and a large believer in America and Christianity. And He is not<br /> afraid to say what is on his mind. I honestly was impressed about how<br /> tight his band is on the whole album, and for me, I'll put it on if I<br /> need something to put me in a good mood. See what you think, if this<br /> something you might like.<br /> <a href="http://www.charliedaniels.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.charliedaniels.com</span></a><br />guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-88620178390000290902014-04-12T03:37:00.000-07:002020-07-04T02:25:05.939-07:00"GOING OFF GRID - DOIN' IT DYLAN" - The Charlie Daniels Band - a Reviewguit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-28399002561167040442014-03-25T01:46:00.000-07:002014-03-25T01:46:01.535-07:00"Flatt Lonesome" - Flatt Lonesome - A Review<a href="http://youtu.be/rRaAtQLqb_M" rel="nofollow">http://youtu.be/rRaAtQLqb_M</a><br />
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These young folk have formed one of the best sounding traditional bluegrass groups around. If you watch the youtube above, you will get an idea of their talent level plus the love they have for their craft. The vocals are built around 3 sibling and they harmonize so well together. Plus they play their instruments so well. Siblings Kelsi Robertson Harrigill, Charli Robertson and brother Buddy Robertson handle vocals plus Kelsi plays all mandolin, Charli plays fiddle and Buddy plays guitar and is leader of group. He is an excellent guitarist, playing both lead and rhythm. They play a lot of recognizable cover songs on their debut CD.<br />
Helping the sibling out on the other instruments is Mike Stockton who plays a very good Dobro, and they have Paul Harrigill on banjo who is quite an accomplished player and on upright bass,they have Dominic Illingworth who does a good job of keeping the beat going well. My favorite song on the CD is the popular country/bluegrass "Jackson", which sounds like a live version. Buddy and sister Charli do a great job on vocals. Their vocals are quite remarkable. Gospel song "On The Right Side" is done very well by Kelsi on lead vocals. The last song "Boondocks" is done very well in a trio style by Kelsi, Charli and Buddy. These youngsters are very entertaining, they have lots of youtubes on youtube, and they really sound great live. Some of their vocal arrangements are like the best in bluegrass. I would love to catch them at a festival this year. They have some original songs on the CD too. Kelsi wrote "One Foot in The Grave" and "Just Any Moment". I love their version of "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" and "Draggin My Heart Around", a couple of songs that are pretty popular. They are fortunate to be a member of Mountain Home Records, which also has the "Grascals" and "Balsam Range". Mountain Home Records is blessed to have one of the best recording engineers around in their studio in the Mountains of North Carolina. And I have yet to hear , Van Atkins do a bad recording. He not only records their CDs , but also does the mastering, which is unusual. Most groups or labels all send their finished record out to a good mastering engineer like Doug Sax or Georgetown Masters in Nashville, Tennessee. Van just switched over from 2 inch analog tape to Pro Tools in the last couple of years. He is simply one of the best in Bluegrass. The artwork on the CD is great too, There is a living room chair on the Cover, with a blackboard which says simply "Flatt Lonesome" on it. This is a group with a huge upside to it. Check them out.<br />
<a href="http://www.flattlonesome.com/" rel="nofollow">www.FlattLonesome.com</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.crossroadsmusic.com/" rel="nofollow">www.crossroadsmusic.com</a>guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-21106112674311073282014-01-30T03:35:00.000-07:002014-01-30T03:35:49.715-07:00Only Me - Rhonda Vincent - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Rhonda Vincent releases her new 2 CD package "Only Me" on Upper Management Music 1/28/14. <br />
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<strong> Rhonda has been singing and picking traditional bluegrass music for quite a while now. The Bluegrass CD has a real rich sound recorded at her own Studio , Adventures Studio by recording engineer, Joey Crawford, who also mixed the CD. Present day Rage is Hunter Berry on fiddle, Brent Burke on resophonic guitar, Mickey Harris on upright bass, with Aaron Macdaris on banjo. Rhonda plays mandolin and Josh Williams plays some real good guitar. Willie Nelson his guitar on title track "Only Me" which is a duet with Rhonda. Darryl Singletary sings a song with Rhonda on the bluegrass CD "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Minds". The instruments sound great on the bluegrass side with Rhonda playing some great mandolin. It's hard to believe that she has been recording since 1967. She still looks gorgeous and her vocals are beautiful. Dolly Parton gives her a compliment on her great bluegrass singing in the credits. Very good song selection which is one with a live sounding vibe. </strong></div>
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<strong> Rhonda's last CD was two years ago, a gospel CD "Sunday Morning Singing". The country CD is equally good, her earlier CDs on Giant Records during the ninetys were country. Her country voice reminds me a bit of Lee Ann Womack. She starts out with a song that she wrote herself called "Teardrops Over You" which is a great slow song. The country record was recorded at the tracking room in Nashville ,featuring Tim Crouch on fiddle, Kevin Grant on upright bass, Carl Jackson on acoustic guitar, Mark Johnson who is incredible on pedal steel . Catherine Marx on piano, James Mitchell on lead guitar, Michael Rojas plays piano on (Drivin' Nails) and Lonnie Wilson on drums. </strong></div>
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<strong> The country CD has a great selection of songs by well known writers like Bill Anderson. </strong> It has Rhonda's great country voice with some just dynamite interplay with the musicians, especially Mike Johnson on pedal steel, James Mitchell on electric guitar and Catherine Marx on piano. Recorded again by Joey Crawford with some assist by Jarad Clement. I remember the days when the great Bill Voorndick recorded most of Vincent's music. This CD has some great artwork with Rhonda on the cover looking great with some nice design ideas, one being that it has this special jewel case for two CDs that really work. I have really enjoyed Vincent's CD. If you like the real deal, Rhonda is it.</div>
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<wbr></wbr> <a href="http://www.rhondavincent.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.rhondavincent.com</span></a></div>
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-86245531531654564322014-01-23T04:12:00.000-07:002014-01-23T04:14:37.960-07:00"Pennsylvania Coal" - Irene Kelley - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong> Veteran Nashville songwriter Irene Kelley and small town native of Pennsylvania has a new singer-songwriter bluegrass CD coming out in the early part of February, 2014. This is all acoustic music produced by Mark Fain. Kelley has written hits for lots of other artists. </strong></div>
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<strong> This CD is a tribute to her coal mining grandfather who was a coalminer in Pennsylvania. This is no ordinary Bluegrass CD, I mean it is loaded with some of the truly best talent on the Nashville music scene today. A sampling of the musicians is Mark Fain on Bass, Bryan Sutton on guitar, banjo and dojo for one track. The music is nothing less than Sparkling, like a cool mountain stream. More musicians include Adam Steffey on mandolin, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Lynn Williams on Drums and percussion, and Irene Kelley, autoharp. </strong></div>
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<strong> Background singers include Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Gulley, Claire Lynch, Trisha Yearwood, Darren Vincent, Carl Jackson, Rhonda Vincent and Chip Davis, just to mention the best. </strong></div>
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<strong> There is really not a bad song on this whole CD , maybe some stick out more, but the selection and vocals make them great. "Sister's Heart" has a neat pattern of banjo playing which helps define the sparsely produced song. "Things We never did" has a traditional vein in it. "Angels Around Her" with Claire Lynch has some real nice harmonies flowing thru it. Some great fiddle and mandolin too. "Better With Time" is a slow ballad with Trisha Yearwood singing backup vocals. Bryan Sutton plays some really nice guitar runs on this song. "Garden Of Dreams" is a beautiful ballad with some of Irenes' best vocal work. Probably the most upbeat song with a catchy melody is the opener "You Don't Run Across My Mind", and vocal help of Darrin Vincent. </strong></div>
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<strong> Overall, a very well done project, with excellent arrangements, both vocally and instrumentally. This CD will be released on Feb 11, 2014 on Patio Records.</strong></div>
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<strong> <a href="http://www.irenekelley.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.irenekelley.com</span></a> </strong></div>
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-73863778577235546632013-12-29T01:18:00.000-07:002013-12-29T01:18:04.622-07:00James Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-69100235436567247642013-11-14T00:20:00.000-07:002013-11-14T00:20:07.504-07:00"Almost Christmas" - New Video By Mike Aiken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-25458069318972854652013-11-04T20:46:00.000-07:002013-11-04T20:46:36.219-07:00"The Roys" - Play the Grand Old Opry for the First time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFdzcA7TeL1v9Aj9XDunoNSwgxnFKenET7S-Xithli_y4HygM6fH9IiBT1MyS_6Sns3EK33kzX_Tee01ZsIfEiD-fY5OaWXf4Pxz4_uIwxn0pol3aezu3OZumxZfV4OQnHSUk/s1600/605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFdzcA7TeL1v9Aj9XDunoNSwgxnFKenET7S-Xithli_y4HygM6fH9IiBT1MyS_6Sns3EK33kzX_Tee01ZsIfEiD-fY5OaWXf4Pxz4_uIwxn0pol3aezu3OZumxZfV4OQnHSUk/s320/605.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Nashville, TN (November 4, 2013) - Award-winning Bluegrass siblings THE ROYS marked another milestone in their career with their Grand Ole Opry debut last Friday night on the stage of Nashville's world-famous Ryman Auditorium. Introduced by Grammy-winning Opry legend Jeannie Seely and backed by the renowned Opry band, THE ROYS brought down the house with "You Can Count on My Love" and their version of Merle Haggard's "Ramblin' Fever," both tracks from their latest album GYPSY RUNAWAY TRAIN. <br />
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"There are no words to describe what we're feeling right now, so we thank y'all for sharing in our dream come true," vocalist/guitarist Elaine Roy told the Ryman audience. "I just want to say that dreams do come true, so never give up. God always opens the doors. You will never know how incredibly awesome this is."<br />
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www.roys.com guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-21010043341400710572013-10-26T06:02:00.000-07:002013-10-26T06:02:45.416-07:00"Grascals Live at Sellersville Theatre" - Oct. 24,2013 - A ReviewLive at<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GpP7eEf2fWNepUZWl8izrE7VtduwM_GmbX1M54onTcscqY8LBfYyoJlciIzNiy1sgWNZszvmX7UVzZyxBngpvHBQo4yEba_I9QDlQPIWoSbSFw9edWCl72lnj7ziL95NJxPf/s1600/61jrBrwXhgL__AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GpP7eEf2fWNepUZWl8izrE7VtduwM_GmbX1M54onTcscqY8LBfYyoJlciIzNiy1sgWNZszvmX7UVzZyxBngpvHBQo4yEba_I9QDlQPIWoSbSFw9edWCl72lnj7ziL95NJxPf/s320/61jrBrwXhgL__AA160_.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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A friend and I really enjoyed the Grascals tonight at Sellersville Theatre in Sellersville,Pa. We got lost on the way up, but there was an opening act, so we got there right on time. I have been trying to catch them for the last 3 years, but things always came up, not tonight. They put on a delightful show tonight doing some numbers I had not heard before. The crowd was excited and enjoyed the show. Looks like there was a new fiddle player in the fold, his nickname is Redbone. Don't ask me. He did a fine job on his third weekend with the band. <br />
They started out the show with "Mystery Train" on all cylinders. They had some news about a new CD in the works. Kristen sounded great on banjo, she is more fun live than on CD, that young lady can really play. They played a combination of their own songs from their last few CDs and some bluegrass covers. There was a real poignant moment when Jamie was singing "Road to Surrender", from their last CD. He got thru the first verse , and he just lost it, froze up on the stage , He walked off for a second and came back and finished the song, it was a real moving moment, if you know that song , the crowd was yelling out encouragement. It was a real special moment. They really put on a great performance. They finished the show with "Up this Hill and Down ", It was a real stellar performance!!<br />
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www.grascals.com<br />
guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-33966477233729266082013-10-18T02:14:00.000-07:002013-10-18T02:14:06.393-07:00"Snowed In" - Mindy Smith - A Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyHDpbNpoF4tH8iDQlETWpft0UMvz-BA0dHbajRojeI2ufW49O0Od6yJYIk040Drxvk8Pqwyyu6Y1nMSJDbMps6YD20CW_ueySPqL7npXn9zmy0URYSDgMxJgxaLnp3S2Z77J/s1600/598579_10152223771672892_1082470164_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyHDpbNpoF4tH8iDQlETWpft0UMvz-BA0dHbajRojeI2ufW49O0Od6yJYIk040Drxvk8Pqwyyu6Y1nMSJDbMps6YD20CW_ueySPqL7npXn9zmy0URYSDgMxJgxaLnp3S2Z77J/s320/598579_10152223771672892_1082470164_a.jpg" /></a></div> Snowed In is a five song EP, that Smith is releasing at the end of this month. This will be ten years since Mindy began her journey as a singer- songwriter almost exactly ten years ago, she already was a songwriter for a company in Nashville. She has released four full CDs during that time from the emotional laden "One Moment More" in 04 to "Long Island Shores" in 06, to her first Christmas Album "My Holiday" in 07 and the more pop sounding "Stupid Love" in 09 ,all on Vanguard Records. During this time, she has sold one half million CDs on her CDs from Vanguard. Not too bad at all for an independent artist. <br />
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This EP is on Giantleap/tvx records. This recording has two original songs and three traditional Holiday songs which almost has a sacred sound to them. Smith has vocals that original, fresh as a mountain stream, and she writes some interesting melodies with some sweet hooks and beautiful lyrics which she has a reputation for. <br />
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The First original song is "Tomorrow Is Christmas Day", which is a sweet mid-tempo Christmas ballad, the melody just stays with you once you have heard it a couple of times. Then she sings a stunning version of "What Child Is This". Her voice sounds like it has improved over the years. The music for this disc contains the same Nashville studio guys, that helped her on the first Christmas CD. <br />
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Her other original song "Snowed In" is my favorite about the Christmas she Dreams of is just being snowed in with her favorite person, a very emotional, fun tune, that has a great melody. It also has some nice acoustic guitar and piano.<br />
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Then she goes into a very sweet version of "Silent Night", sparse instruments, heavenly voice. She ends with a great version of "Auld Lang Syne". She is reunited with producer Steve Buckingham on this disc. Smith comments on the season, "In Truth, we are all searching for ONE very powerful gift." This ranks up there with some of the best stuff she has ever done. Check out where you can get a limited edition of the CD at her website.<br />
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guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-1405775371688883722013-10-06T06:33:00.000-07:002013-10-06T06:33:08.926-07:00"Flying" - Darin and Brooke Aldridge - Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFSQ8Lca5ZxNgCew0b_PteJwJmMiYbBKdqnFqG42eaTOYpkPXzi68qu8zaakU2tcvFR1M_F-1CEL3N2GNOxllUo7XTGrMriQaFC-5R6Z3o_u8dt2dixRPz4vhmmGWo-52fBit/s1600/dandb-flying-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaFSQ8Lca5ZxNgCew0b_PteJwJmMiYbBKdqnFqG42eaTOYpkPXzi68qu8zaakU2tcvFR1M_F-1CEL3N2GNOxllUo7XTGrMriQaFC-5R6Z3o_u8dt2dixRPz4vhmmGWo-52fBit/s320/dandb-flying-300x300.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Darin and Brooke Aldridge have put out a CD in my opinion that is refreshing. To quote Jim Lauderdale , he says "Darin and Brooke bring tradition to today and today to tradition". This couple sings so well together, their harmonies are just uncanny. I call this CD a mood changer, I like to listen to it with breakfast, they use different songwriters including their own member Becky Buller.<br />
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I'm listening to a song I love called "Trying To Make Clocks Slow Down", by Bill Whyte just a sample of the many great songs on this expertly crafted CD.<br />
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Brooke sings the lead on this , the instruments are placed expertly in the mix. There is a lot of pettiness about some things in bluegrass, like this CD has a quiet drum kit in the background of the music. So if that is going to ruin it for you, get a Bill Monroe CD. I can like both. This is just one of those albums that does not have one bad song on it, and it is recorded in a studio in North Carolina, Crossroads Studio, by sound master Van Atkins, who recorded, mixed and mastered it all by himself. I wouldn't recommend this myself, I usually think that another person should master a CD, for one reason to get a fresh set of ears on the recording, but Atkins gets a pass on this from me, He recorded "Papertown" by Balsam Range which spent an incredible amount of time at the top of the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and won CD of the Year for the IBMA. It was a masterpiece similar to this. Brooke and Darin produced this CD.<br />
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Jim Lauderdale wrote the liner notes for this CD, there is another statement that he made in which I agree, "I can't really do justice in trying to describe the essence of this record in words; you just have to hear it to know what I mean. " I have had this CD for about a month and it is still as fresh now as when I first heard it. I really think that it is going to do well. <br />
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I have to mention a couple of other songs in closing. The first song that I need to mention is their jaw dropping version of "Outbound Plane", by Nanci Griffith, which honestly is the hook that got me that got me listening to the CD, and when I listen to a CD, I like to listen to the whole CD, and there just is not a bad song on here. They do "Outbound Plane" almost exactly like Nanci Griffith originally did it, but with more of a bluegrass sound. The other song which gets extra mention is "Love Does" by Jamie Johnson, which is done as a duet, with some sweet harmonies.<br />
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No studio musicians used, it is recorded with their road band. Darin Aldridge plays guitar, mandolin and Bouzouki. Becky Buller on harmony vocals and fiddle. Collin Willis plays a very tasty sounding Dobro, Dwayne Anderson on bass, Tony Creasman on percussion and Leah Bowen on Harmony vocals. Check This Out.<br />
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www.darinandbrookealdridge.com <br />
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guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-22200444318517603712013-09-23T02:23:00.000-07:002013-09-23T02:23:19.995-07:00Ricky Skaggs "Kentucky Traveler" - Book Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsmi3hIDzmp7DmgEtSI53Gq5BFy7_tJU_he2_EfanrCxZPXzXPMNQBjSIyXL-f-1Q_yv8MXfRBq5_ssEi-ffXWmVbpwBBX80w1DVCqboKriqo78mnh7kYHzk6ZPSw4rB1PB4V/s1600/146549ca70cd28ecc2e42ecf_189x280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsmi3hIDzmp7DmgEtSI53Gq5BFy7_tJU_he2_EfanrCxZPXzXPMNQBjSIyXL-f-1Q_yv8MXfRBq5_ssEi-ffXWmVbpwBBX80w1DVCqboKriqo78mnh7kYHzk6ZPSw4rB1PB4V/s320/146549ca70cd28ecc2e42ecf_189x280.png" /></a></div> Ricky Skaggs is one of the few iconic figures left in bluegrass music today. Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and a lot of the founders and keepers of the sound out of the hills of Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina during the 50s and 60s. Ricky's Dad was a guitar player and wanted Ricky to play mandolin. He picked up a Gibson mandolin for Ricky at age 5. At 6 1/2 Ricky got to play mandolin for Bill Monroe. At the age of 7, Ricky got to play in the Skaggs Family Band. His dad had a brother named Okel who passed away. So his Dad primed him to take Okels Place in the Band. Ricky got the chance to play on television with the Foggy Mountain Boys, Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. A few months later he played with the Stanley Brothers. <br />
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So was the life of Ricky Skaggs who wrote this book with the help of writer, Eddie Dean, who was a ghostwriter. Reading about Skaggs is reading also bluegrass history and country music history, because for awhile, Skaggs took a place playing country music. Dean does a good job of getting across what Skaggs wanted in this book. Skaggs lived at a time when it was ripe to be a bluegrass musician, or a country musician.<br />
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www.countryreviews.blogspot.comguit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-57824895343096930752013-08-17T02:53:00.000-07:002013-08-17T02:53:06.853-07:00"Make Each Moment Last" - Ryan Broshear - single review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT71jzzW00C1MILUMuHU3yMzvKIrBpipbGHwGM86MY-JVrhRZDhOyfpqcHSimCiHZvCYrobMfECixMUsyrvt4c1BBFpvcm3-mVQ9e7QrMOC3Mm2NvA-xyxAD-8jgAw6hhk9uyR/s1600/139110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT71jzzW00C1MILUMuHU3yMzvKIrBpipbGHwGM86MY-JVrhRZDhOyfpqcHSimCiHZvCYrobMfECixMUsyrvt4c1BBFpvcm3-mVQ9e7QrMOC3Mm2NvA-xyxAD-8jgAw6hhk9uyR/s320/139110.jpg" /></a></div>Ryan Broshear is someone that I have never heard of. I received a CD single, I guess of his first CD, or second, I don't know. He has a pretty good voice and I do like the lyrics to this, I'm not sure who wrote the song but it contains some lyrics anyone can relate to. Very good recording, maybe a bit sparse if you are aiming for a radio hit. The only thing that makes it country is the excellent pedal steel player. But at least you have something to distinguish it as country. I think I would rather have it like this, than over produced like so many <br />
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top forty country songs today. I like one line about lightning bugs in a mason jar. That brings back some childhood memories from when I was growing up in different parts of Tennessee. That's what you want to accomplish, something to hook the listener into the song. No backup vocals, I think that would make the song nicer. No chickenpickin, but some nice organ spots. Broshear shows real good control of his vocals. Looks like you can download some stuff for free on his site or check out his neat store which has his full CD.<br />
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www.ryanbroshear.com<br />
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guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-56198122097178842042013-07-24T01:32:00.000-07:002013-07-24T01:34:25.123-07:00May 77 - Grateful Dead - Box Set<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKU8mTpfwplt6oPVHk2tBqXPEkz1ld3n-cZmAaA5_hVWGJ88qYIof5BCvc_sXf0Jyxy3DVwktXskos9YlONXX2IhV8Jp5wUFGtQXBeloIEc8HN2uUNw2nqEXm4drz_WkUChmM/s1600/may-1977-13-front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKU8mTpfwplt6oPVHk2tBqXPEkz1ld3n-cZmAaA5_hVWGJ88qYIof5BCvc_sXf0Jyxy3DVwktXskos9YlONXX2IhV8Jp5wUFGtQXBeloIEc8HN2uUNw2nqEXm4drz_WkUChmM/s400/may-1977-13-front.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This is the first time, that I ever had the privilege to review a full Grateful Dead Box Set, very special, since it is one of my favorite years of the Dead,1977. This set is done up very luxuriously, both the music and the Box itself, music is two track recording done by Dead recording engineer, Betty Cantor, she recorded it on a stereo reel to reel tape machine. The music was then mastered by Jeff Norman. <br />
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There are five shows here, May 11, St Paul, Minn. May 12 and 13 at Chicago Illinois, then May 15 at St Louis ,Mo. then finally at Tusc, Alabama on May 17 at University of Alabama Basketball Gym, which is a bit unusual, since they had never done a show in Alabama, but it is a very good show, and the football team was helping the sound crew set up their sound system in the gym. <br />
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All of the music is mastered down to HDCD, which really sounds good , especially if your CD player decodes HDCD. Still, the sound quality is excellent throughout the recordings. By the Way ,there are still around 2500 box sets out of the original 15,000 sets left. The recording quality is really especially good in these concerts, Rhino Records puts out a good product. I skipped around the first time thru these concerts, I'm listening to the last show recorded at the University of Alabama now, really a creative show. They have cut back on gear since the last huge tour in 74 "the Wall of Sound" tour. The quality is just as good or better, they learned from that that tour, you do not need all of that gear. The stereo spread and eq are perfect on most shows, this is one of the most audiophile recordings, that the Grateful Dead have ever put out. They so some of the same songs every show, but there is a good mix of songs. As the band goes on thru the tour, they are tight as ever, but you really pick up a sense of joy from their performance. They really had picked up a lot of discipline working with Keith Olsen on their last Album "Terrapin Station". I think the icing on the cake on this recording was the incredible singing of Donna Godchaux on this tour. She is right on her game. <br />
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www.dead.net guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-49330260652438150162013-05-28T02:41:00.000-07:002013-05-28T02:41:12.472-07:00"Gypsy Runaway Train" - The Roys - A Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK9TvG4cxAWelgG-nU4IXc_wAwJVzmCIddrWhW7prLdNgSu60DYfkTZSzN_s4w9jRIF3zXNkT5DZ3tvARAKvphyphenhyphenlCYY69hS1aUrDr2MStvxHRvQFyuWmQDYBqynWDzsg_pRQQ/s1600/509.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUK9TvG4cxAWelgG-nU4IXc_wAwJVzmCIddrWhW7prLdNgSu60DYfkTZSzN_s4w9jRIF3zXNkT5DZ3tvARAKvphyphenhyphenlCYY69hS1aUrDr2MStvxHRvQFyuWmQDYBqynWDzsg_pRQQ/s320/509.jpg" /></a><br />
The Roy's had a brilliant idea for their third CD on Rural Rhythm Records. They decided to pick several cover songs that they had been playing for several years with their road band, they had had fans ask them where they can find some of the songs on CD that they had been playing in shows for years. So they decide on this CD, they would take their road band and record the cover songs with them, and their new original material they would continue to let Andy Leftwich and members of Kentucky Thunder, (Ricky Skagg's Band) play the music for the their own songs. This makes for more work ,but it gives the Roy's fans an opportunity to hear what the Roys sound like with their road band. <br />
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The Roys road band has Elaine on guitar, Lee on mandolin. On bass, they have Royal Masat, their fiddle player is Clint White and they have an excellent banjo picker in Matthew Downing who can do some great Scrugg's like banjo playing. The songs recorded with their own band have a more intimate sparse sound with the vocals being the highlights. Lee is a very good mandolin player, and so also Clint White is a good Fiddler. My favorite cover songs they do are "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (Monroe), "He Took your Place" (Flatt and Scruggs) and "What Gives You The Right" (Adam Steffey). <br />
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For their original songs, it is basically the same musicians from Kentucky Thunder with Andy Leftwich producing this part with the Roy's. Let me say something about Andy Leftwich, He is Ricky Skaggs' fiddle player and this guy is dynamite, I saw him recently with Ricky Skaggs at Sellersville Theater up here in Pa., and I did not expect the show I got from that group, every player is excellent,and they just nail everything they do, I see why a lot of them do so much studio work. I talked to Andy briefly after their two hour show, and He is a very brilliant young man with a long future ahead of him. He really lit up when I brought up the Roys. I also met Justin Moses who plays banjo on the Roys original songs. He is another great banjo player from Skaggs' band. Cody Kilby plays guitar on the Roys original songs. Then you have Mark Fain on bass and Randy Kohrs playing some great Dobro. My favorite song on the CD is Elaine's heartbreak song about her divorce "Half Of Me", it is so powerful, I'm glad I got to hear her say a few words about it on a video today. Another favorite is the very upbeat "Gypsy Runaway Train", the title track of the CD. It is a song for the fans. Another song I like a lot is "Workin' On It" Their harmonies are great on this one. I love the lyrics too. The artwork on the Cd is excellent, simple, but beautiful.<br />
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www.theroysonline.comguit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-86475982810303691752013-05-13T21:31:00.000-07:002013-05-13T21:31:03.805-07:00"Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder" - Live At Sellersville Theatre, 5/11/13 - A Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEnV_1jT0nfdoFnupbMh5RjLvdw8yc340R_5mVkp0X7NLl80ci41x1kzsq8KMX-HxL6OnGkB3aXxJNY0yvUlZ93d0pU5GXcQI77BdFTS3IGU4FmHFzt3D0moQc6-uYIgmLOQq/s1600/61c6zAFU0aL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtEnV_1jT0nfdoFnupbMh5RjLvdw8yc340R_5mVkp0X7NLl80ci41x1kzsq8KMX-HxL6OnGkB3aXxJNY0yvUlZ93d0pU5GXcQI77BdFTS3IGU4FmHFzt3D0moQc6-uYIgmLOQq/s320/61c6zAFU0aL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a><br />
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Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder put on a show to remember before a packed house at the Sellersville Theatre, Saturday night, They played material from all over the place, including their most recent CD. The Crowd was definitely into the show, Skaggs is a real icon in the Bluegrass scene. But, I like how he has experimented with different styles over the years, like the CD that He did with Bruce Hornsby years ago, unlikely ,yet a great listen. He mixed some slow ballads with a lot of uptempo pickers, with the help of Andy Leftwich on fiddle, Cody Kilby on lead guitar, and Justin Moses on banjo. His band is filled with sessions musicians, plus an excellent bassist in Scott Mulvahill, who was playing all over the place, plus you could hear his upright bass in the mix. He also had a couple of excellent backup singers who also played rhythm guitar in Paul Brewster and Eddie Faris.<br />
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This band plays like a well oiled machine, they are tight, the mix is just right and the sound is lush, Skaggs uses studio quality condenser mikes for his mandolin and guitar, Leftwich's fiddle has a real musical tone, not scratchy, Moses gets great tone from his banjo, mandolin and dobro using the same type mike as Ricky, and Mulvahill gets a nice punchy tone from his standup bass. <br />
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They played a lot of songs from their latest CD, "Music To My Ears", which came out at the end of last year, a really well done CD with excellent material. Most of the musicians in the band had done solo CDs. Ricky let them do a song from their new material, which usually was done with the help of the rest of the band. Then they also did some material from Skaggs earlier albums ,a couple from "Mosaic". The show lasted a little over 2 hours with a brief intermission. This bluegrass band puts on a show which will leave you with a song in your heart and a smile on your face.<br />
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www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-18770208383814873422013-04-29T03:50:00.003-07:002013-04-29T03:50:54.884-07:00" Gypsy Runaway Train" - The Roys - Single Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiHQpUFlLKt_4VBTCR512C3QoRtTP9M48DgKd6Wc2mZe6R6KQOZ2kEQPwvZZmT8QZK2NNYDgv7XxJ5vpj6wB21YclnQ9D43cUWW_6RIj2F62tVrADIgRTO1QPFdZ_ashQ1qC8/s1600/509.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiHQpUFlLKt_4VBTCR512C3QoRtTP9M48DgKd6Wc2mZe6R6KQOZ2kEQPwvZZmT8QZK2NNYDgv7XxJ5vpj6wB21YclnQ9D43cUWW_6RIj2F62tVrADIgRTO1QPFdZ_ashQ1qC8/s320/509.jpg" /></a><br />
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The Roys new single from their upcoming CD is the title track "Gypsy Runaway Train". This is actually a song about their fans and their relationship with them. It is an upbeat song with Lee singing the lead vocals and Elaine wrapping her wonderful harmonies around Lee's vocals. There is some excellent pickin' by members of Ricky Skaggs Kentucky Thunder, who play on about half of the songs on the new CD, Cody Kilby plays some lightning fast guitar runs, Randy Kohrs plays some hot Dobro and there is Mark Fain on bass, plus Andy Leftwich,who is a great fiddle player. There will be some interesting twists on the new CD, which I think will be the best CD yet by the Roys.<br />
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guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-3284445952634930482013-04-17T02:58:00.000-07:002013-04-17T02:58:00.047-07:00"Captains And Cowboys" - Mike Aiken - A Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3DpkroDWa4bkFiB4yNyHq5DXpgiZjO0_h35Nu2zOooWAUyDX72t8wzyuN7rTw5YhkDrVXHNoYD_yb-mHB6rTDy1SdLppDC75nZuL7WlqmzI2eTY1CZXaeELm8CACO_1HXLnJ/s1600/cnc_cover200.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3DpkroDWa4bkFiB4yNyHq5DXpgiZjO0_h35Nu2zOooWAUyDX72t8wzyuN7rTw5YhkDrVXHNoYD_yb-mHB6rTDy1SdLppDC75nZuL7WlqmzI2eTY1CZXaeELm8CACO_1HXLnJ/s320/cnc_cover200.jpg" /></a><br />
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This Americana/acoustic sounding CD has some real nice material on it that will put a song in your heart. Most material is written by Aiken himself or with help. This CD is the first CD that Aiken has put some real top professional people in the help and it is an excellent sounding CD. This recording was two years in the making, but is scheduled for release on April 22,2013. It is produced by Aiken, Dan Baird, and Ben Strand. The sound ranges from country, roots and a bit of island sound.<br />
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It is a twelve song CD recorded at Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville, one of the best. Mastered at Yes Master in Nashville, a company with a great reputation that I have heard many fine CDs mastered by them. This recording has a very warm mix where everything is heard at a good volume. Vocals were recorded at Hot factory six and recording was mixed at Hot Factory six.<br />
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Aiken sings lead vocals, plays guitars, and slide guitar. Mike Grando plays drums. Michael Webb plays bass. Dan Baird plays electric guitar, and one of the best in the industry Dan Dugmore plays pedal steel.<br />
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I really do not think there is a bad song on this CD. My favorites are the melodic, catchy "Virginia", the workingman's song , "Coal Train" , One of Mike's best for me is the slow "Your Memory Wins", written with the help of Austin Cunningham.<br />
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I like "Save The Whales" upbeat, country song written by Joe Mcdonald. Tammy Rodgers plays some excellent fiddle here. "Summertime Song" has some real good country blues guitar. Good background vocals on this upbeat song. Mike also plays some great slide guitar on this song. This might be the best song on the CD. "Captains and Cowboys" is another upbeat song with a real good vibe going. This has been a real joy for me. Enjoy!!<br />
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www.mikeaikenmusic.com guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-51845724375637608652013-03-17T02:38:00.000-07:002013-03-17T02:38:01.439-07:00The Best Grateful Dead Tribute Band<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nP5f0VWRKfvkBxdmc3V7Z1w3A_KF7LJcjyKopp18Ui2NLcTZS89uvtcivstmgNZ-hBR_P6cLDVsvAgYRc1jNT8cSDNkHyC3tAxEev5ocjRzQBNXZVQVR9G1GpGoK29AsxJpi/s1600/3e5543e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nP5f0VWRKfvkBxdmc3V7Z1w3A_KF7LJcjyKopp18Ui2NLcTZS89uvtcivstmgNZ-hBR_P6cLDVsvAgYRc1jNT8cSDNkHyC3tAxEev5ocjRzQBNXZVQVR9G1GpGoK29AsxJpi/s320/3e5543e3.jpg" /></a>
There is a band that plays music as sweet as the Dead ever did. The same songs,having Bob Weir and Phil Lesh as members truly helps, they were afraid to get a guitarist that sounded anything like Garcia in the Band they called the Dead, they had Warren Haynes, but it just didn't sound quite right, but with John Kadlecik from DSO in between Bobby and Phil, things are as good or better than ever ,so the band "Furthur" has taken the concept of the Dead Furthur down the Road.
There are times when this band makes you smile like in times past, they are tighter than ever, the communication between players is eery, after I watched their 4 night run at Sweetwater Music Hall in Marin County, I was blown away , especially at the playing of Kadlecik who's guitar playing is so melodic, with a tone and phrasings very similar to his mentor Garcia.
On 1/18/13 at Sweetwater Music Hall they start out with "Jack Straw" done to perfection, with ace keyboard player Jeff Chimenti playing some honky tonk piano on his keyboard. They also have a male and female back up vocal unit that makes the harmonies as good as ever. They do songs that the Dead themselves never did while on the road. The second song on the eighteenth, Kadlecik sang "Reuben and Cherise" from Garcia's favorite solo album "Cats Down Under The Stars" which then goes into "Me and My Uncle" and then "Big River", where Kadlecik plays an incredible solo, sounding like a pedal steel at times.
Than they do "Pride Of Cucamonga" where Kadlecik does some more mastery. Jeff Chimenti is a super talented keyboard player as Joe Russo is also a great drummer, both with a heavy jazz background.
Kadlecik counts off "Built to Last" and they go into a version that sounds very much like the original Grateful Dead. Just an update on what this growing group has been up to, and it looks like a pretty full year of touring for them. Enjoy!!!
www.Furthur.net guit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7729502.post-14301653712997322862013-03-11T03:10:00.000-07:002013-03-11T03:10:06.357-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-TH1JBesvxykRQRb-18y57wrgBE0toiKdnESBLn3qlqzPCacnfk561SOoRUTc-jXywddr_iRn9pD9xS20zrm7s2j3KnqobT-aFEz0CXW9kOORh6uvYfsnDeisynGF7gy6-R2O/s1600/atolp47908.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-TH1JBesvxykRQRb-18y57wrgBE0toiKdnESBLn3qlqzPCacnfk561SOoRUTc-jXywddr_iRn9pD9xS20zrm7s2j3KnqobT-aFEz0CXW9kOORh6uvYfsnDeisynGF7gy6-R2O/s320/atolp47908.jpg" /></a>
This is one of the top CDs that I have heard this year. Before this couple got married, they both had successful solo careers and still do. This is the first CD that they have done together and I think they sound very well singing together, though I'll take Willis singing by herself anyday. I like Bruce's brother Charlie better than Bruce, just a stylistic, talent thing. Bruce is very talented himself.
This is produced by Brad Jones and it is a very well done CD with a Texas Country sound. Only problem I have with recording is that it is way too loud, don't know if it was mastered too loud or recorded too loud originally, but there is no Distortion, unless you turned it up real loud which I did not try. A combination of songs written by different writers. It is a real good recording though ,mastered by Yes Master, who are a very well known outfit. Robison and Willis sing very well together. It is a collection of catchy songs which work well.
As for the material, I like just about every song on the disc. Favorites are "Border Radio" by Dave Alvin, "We're All the Way" by Don Williams. "Long Way Home" by Hayes Carl has Kelly singing lead which is a delight. Nice mid-tempo ballad in a sad mood, but it is a delight. "9,999,999 Tears" by Razzy Bailey is another great song with Willis singing lead, her vocals are so beautiful. Eamon Mclaughlin (former Greencard) plays cello,mando and fiddle on most songs.
Bruce Robison has a good voice, but I like the songs Kelly sings better, They do sing very well together.
The artwork for the CD is very creative, a bit offbeat, but fun. When you open up the Cardboard case it looks like a pinball game. Interesting booklet with lyrics.
Bruce Robison wrote about half the songs on the thirteen song disc. He is a good songwriter. As a solo artist, I like his brother Charles Robison better. My favorite song on the whole disc is a slow heartbreak song called "Waterfall" sang by Kelly.
www.KellyWillis.com
www.BruceRobison.comguit30http://www.blogger.com/profile/06272940955035742499noreply@blogger.com0