Marshall Tucker Band - Live! Englishtown, NJ - 9/3/77 - A review

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.

  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.

  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.

          www.marshalltucker.com

"The View" - The Roys - A Review

 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.

  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.

  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.

  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".

  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.

  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.

   Overall, The View is one of the best CDs, put out by the Roys.

                      www.theroysonline.com

"Flatt Lonesome Too" - Flatt Lonesome -A Review

 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.

  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".

  "He Still Hears" is 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.

  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. 

  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.

                               www.flattlonesome.com    www.crossroadsmusic.com      

Only Me - Rhonda Vincent - A Review

Rhonda Vincent releases her new 2 CD package "Only Me" on Upper Management Music 1/28/14.

  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.

   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.

    The country CD has a great selection of songs by well known writers like Bill Anderson.  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.

                                www.rhondavincent.com

Ricky Skaggs "Kentucky Traveler" - Book Review

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.



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.

www.countryreviews.blogspot.com

"Miners' Rebellion" - The Miners - A Review

This group is a Philly Band with a real bend towards the country rock sound and nothing fancy, just original songs by their leader Keith Marlowe. Marlowe seems to have his hand into a little bit of everything. This six song EP is called Miners Rebellion which is the first track on the CD. Marlowe recorded this album in his basement using an eight track half inch tape reel to reel recorder. The tone is solid without a lot of effects, but the ones he used were quality. Track six has some great guitar work on it. Marlowe is responsible for all of the great guitar work on the six songs, some has more emphasis like on a fiddle or pedal steel, He has two pedal steel players on the six songs. We do not have a glut of pedal steel players here in Philly, He said He basically knows all of them, I'm sure He is right. We just do not have the country bands like we used to, so for me to stumble upon Keith was refreshing.A few years ago ,there was a great band called the Patsy Foster Band, that gal was awesome, she could sing. But the club scene and coffee house scene has changed a bit since the nineties. Marlowes' country lyrics are very interesting, they can take you to another place in history,not a bunch of pop songs with pedal steel (if any ), like a lot of modern country music. There is a very good fiddle player on track two (Joe Kille), a nice ballad. The pedal steel players really add a nice part on this somewhat sparse recording. They each add a different strength in their playing. Norton's Pond is probably my favorite song, which just has a special feel to it. Plus it also has a great melody and some really nice vocal work. My other favorite song is Cold Steel, which is a masterpiece in my opinion,another song with a real good melody plus great vocals and three guitar parts. This EP has the feel of the great alt/country groups of the last three decades,The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons,there is one song that reminds me of Charlie Robison. Their gigging bass player lived way too far away to make it up on this side of Philly, so Scott Donnini was replaced by former bass player Jeff Smith on a couple of tracks and Keith played bass on the other tracks. Andy Shahan played drums and did backing vocals,David Thornburgh played pedal steel on four tracks and is their regular steel player. Jim Callan played pedal steel on two tracks. Matt Mcguire did backing vocals on two tracks. Joe Kille played fiddle on one track. Last, but far from least, on lead vocals Keith Marlowe,electric and acoustic guitars Keith Marlowe,on backing vocals ,Keith Marlowe,and finally on bass, tracks 1- 4 Keith Marlowe. Produced and recorded at Match-Up Zone Studio, (his Basement) Keith Marlowe, Mixed by Keith Marlowe and Joel Metzler at MilkBoy The Studio, Philadelphia,Pa. Mastered by Tommy Joyner at Milkboy The Studio, Phila, Pa. This album has had a real positive effect on just about everyone that has heard it, Please go check out The Miners website where you can listen to the whole CD and Buy it. I have enjoyed this review, I got to meet Keith, He delivered the CD so I could review it, He lives about ten minutes away ,so I hope to hear a show this year. http://www.facebook.com/THEMINERSPA http://www.minersmusic.com

"Last Of A Dying Breed" - Lynryd Skynryd

 Sorry that I have not been able to do much in the way of reviews recently, have had alot of health issues recently, and a big increase in requests for reviews since I started my facebook page, which I started for my family and you guys, but somehow, I have been getting a lot more requests, which I really appreciate, rather than just sending me something. I love music, but I don't have Health insurance and it is hard to get care without it, I am thankful for the clinics I go to. Seems like it is always something since I went on SS disability. This has really been a good year for music in my opinion. May I take this chance to wish you all a very Happy Christmas or Hannachuk Season.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the most iconic of the Southern Rock Bands from the 70's era still performing today. Not many of the original members still left, I saw the original lineup in June of '77 at RFK stadium in Philly, they were opening for Peter Frampton, but they seemed to be the main attraction. Before them, Dickey Betts and Great Southern and The J Geils Band started the Show. Betts played a short set as he was having trouble with the sound system. It was a real hot day, and it took a while to get everyone in the 100,00 seat facility, J Geils was playing when I got there with a few friends. They were like a blues rock type band. They were pretty good, but got a couple of requests for free bird.

This was the only time I saw the original lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd. They really were a great live band, the band really came out cooking, I never had seen a band with three lead guitar players and they were excellent. They had their traditional 70's Backdrop, a huge Confederate flag. They already had alot of hits, "Gimme Three Steps", "The Breeze", and the incredible "Free Bird". Their live show was incredible.

They were on Discovery Channel's Bikers Build Off Tonight and the present configuration of Lynyrd Skynyrd played "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Last Of a Dying Breed", the title track for their latest CD. They nailed both songs and the performance was really good considering they have only a couple of original members.

Personally, I do not believe that Lynyrd Skynyrd would be able to have gone on after the plane crash if it had not

been for Johnny Van Zant, who sounds alot like his brother Ronnie and even looks like him and took over the Lead vocal slot.

www.lynyrdskynyrd.com

"Music To My Ears" - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder- A Review

This year has been a time of tremendous releases of Bluegrass music, this new Disc by Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder being up amongst the top with some Stiff Competition, like The Roys, The Grascals and The Lonesome River Band.
I'm a bit partial to this as it is an audiophile recording,It has been seriously recorded by Skaggs Studio and mastered by Georgetown Masters in HDCD(Old Haunts of genious "Golden Ears" Denny Purcells, now run by his apprentice Andrew Mendelson and crew), The Sound quality just shimmers, and this is a full blown production that has a lot of time and love put into it. Skaggs produced the CD with the help of Gordon Kennedy. All that said, the recordings of the other artists mentioned were quite incredible themselves, like the latest Roys's CD ,which is also done in HDCD.

Ricky has some real good material on this Disc, like "Music to my Ears", a Christian bluegrass song that has the grand traditional bluegrass sound. Also, a great tribute to Doc Watson, who passed away this year, it is called "Tennessee Stud", a mid paced bluegrass gem with Cody Kilby on guitar. Kilby is one of the best guitarists in this genre today, along with Tony Rice, Bryan Sutton and Others. Skaggs is not one to be afraid to step out side the box, and he does some here with the slight sound of electric guitar floating down over some of the songs. Gordon Kennedy takes care of that. Skaggs has songs on here that just live, and they might live on in your heart like "There's Nothing Like A Family" ,last song on disc ,just leaving you with a sense of joy.                       www.rickyskaggs.com

"Up Here In The Saddle" - Todd Fritsch - A Review

Todd Fritsch had a very bad accident roping horses at the family ranch  three years ago. So ,He had to get away from what he loved best and help out at the family business, though the music dream never left his heart.

  I have a theory that the best music comes from a musician who has been through the fires. In Todd's case, I really think that this is true. His vocals sound better and more focused than ever. His sound is more Nashville, but country Nashville, not pop Nashville.

  He really has the privilege of being able to use a very good song catalog here. He has some really good writers at his disposal here. His sound goes from Jason Aldean to George Strait. These songs are my favorites. Todd really puts alot of emotion into this project.

  Some of my favorites are the opener, which is very upbeat,"My Kind Of Crowd", a Jason Aldean type song written by Bryan Simpson. An awesome slow ballad is "Calls I Haven't Made", which might be the best song on the disc.

  "In a Song" by Doug Johnson is a slow song with lyrics that are brilliant and a song that Todd does so well.

  "Horses He Can't Ride Anymore" - This is a Dean Dillon song about a cowboy near the end of his trail, very moving. Dean Dillon does alot of writing with George Strait.

  "That Girls Got A Cowboys Heart", (Dean Dillon) - this is another great song, a bit more upbeat, These Dillon songs sound like A list songs, not throwaways or B list material. Dillon makes a significant contribution to the mood of the whole project.  This CD will be released on June 26, so enjoy.

                                       www.toddfritsch.com

"Pryme Tyme" - Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out - a Review

This group plays traditional bluegrass music. They mix in a little swing on couple of tunes. Russell Moore takes care of guitar and lead vocal on most songs. Steve Dilling plays banjo and sings harmony. Wayne Benson plays stellar mandolin through out the album. Justin Haynes plays fiddle and sings harmony. Edgar Loudermilk plays upright bass and sings harmony vocals and lead vocals on track #9.

   This sounds like a live recording, real sweet recording with great tonal characteristics. Greg Luck does a great job of engineering and also mastering.

   Great selection of material. Songs bring images of Montana to mind to love songs and songs about life. I love "Goodbye Old Missoula", "Hooverville", "Moon Magic", and "Whippoorwill." My favorite song is the last, "What's the World Coming To", a slow paced, emotion filled song about life as we know it.

   By the way, it is good to see Rural Rhytmn Records in Tennessee "where they belong". Visit IIIrd Tyme Out @

       www.iiirdtymeout.com

"In Overdrive" - Aaron Tippin - a review

                                
 This CD by Aaron Tippin is a tribute The great Jerry Reed, guitarist,singer and actor. This great selection of well known trucking songs, performed by Tippin and his band of Nashville studio musicians is the right CD to put in your Car for a long ride. I like the retro Reed sound and great guitar picking by Brent Mason and Pat Buchanon.

   The CD starts out with Reed's "Eastbound and Down" from Smoky and the Bandit. This is really flat out nailed,as Tippin does some great Jerry Reed style singing. This band keeps it country, in the Reed Time period. If this doesn't get your toes tappin, I don't know what will. Great selection of songs on well produced CD.

   Some other songs I recommend are "Drill Here, Drill Now" which has a CDB type sound and a message to it. "Drivin' Fool" is a country rocker ballad with good lyrics and even better pedal steel by Mike Johnson. Finally, for a laugh, well, maybe not, if you are this truck driver, "Chicken Truck".

   www.aarontippin.com 

"Dance Til Your Stockings Are Hot And Ravelin' " - The Grascals - Tribute to Andy Griffith Show 50th Anniversary

The Grascals are doing this special Tribute CD to the Andy Griffith Show, because it's the 50th Anniversary for this iconic show. The Grascals are all fans of the show as I am myself, They like to quote show dialogue back and forth on the bus. They even have trivia contests with their audiences on the road.




After their first CD this year which was bluegrass and country numbers done with other artists. It was "Grascals and Friends", a compilation of country and bluegrass songs on a Cracker Barrel Special.



This is a 7 song EP which is back to straight Bluegrass, and it is kickin' good. It is songs associated with the Andy Griffith Show, plus one they did themselves. I find it very entertaining and something they really worked on to get that old time sound. Most of the songs should be familiar to you. "Dooley","Boil Them Cabbage Down", "Stay All Night(Stay a Longer)", "Ol' Joe Clark" -(Thumbs up for this one), "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms"(Excellent version), "Mayberry's Finest Theme". Bonus- "Boy, Giraffe's Are Selfish" -(this has to do with a line from a show.)



These guys never stop amazing me, I find it hard to keep a freshness to Bluegrass, because it is a very stiff genre' or can be, but the Grascals continue to to be a fan friendly musically talented bunch that I love, and I think any lover of bluegrass would have to give then Kudos!! Look for this in a few weeks.



http://www.grascals.com/

"Soul Of The South" - Doug Gray - A Review

This is an eight song EP, that Doug Gray recorded with the other remaining members of the MTB, except for Tommy Caldwell, who had died in a vehicle accident. This was a project of R & B songs that he was working on for a major label. The songs were picked from a large number of catalog demos. There recorded by country great recording engineer of Nashville, Billy Sherrill in Spartansburg. The band was in between labels and Doug was using this time for the project, intentions were for it to be a full album, but the MTB was signed by Warner Brothers and He felt his responsibility to move on with the band. Pianist Ronnie Godfrey, and local guitarist Rusty Milner were also involved in the project, Milner later took Toy's place as lead guitarist for the MTB.




Gray says that he picked seven songs from three hundred demos. He said He did "More Today Than Yesterday", because Sherrill bet he could not hit the high notes. Gray then takes the tape to Nashville and changes it, adding, almost a totally different band. Riddle is still very evident as the only drummer. There is a song that I like alot called "Sandman", a bouncy sounding ,jazzy piece that sounds like Toy on lead guitar, some very nice lead guitar, I might add. I can't say that I hear Toy anywhere else on the CD.



"Let Me Be The Fool" is another jazzy sounding number. It has some great sax on it , which I am thinking is Jerry Eubanks. Bassist Bob Wray was added in Nashville and sounds good playing with Riddle. "Who" has a lot of Synth in the mix and He has some backup singers called The Cherry Sisters, who add a Motown touch to the mix.



"Guilty" is a funk, disco type song with funky disco groove going on. Doug Gray sounds good on this type of material.



"Don't Blame it on The Rain" has lots of orchestration from the synthes. The funky bass is excellent, good guitar here, definitely not sounding like Toy or George.



"Still Thinking Of You" (Michael Bolton) sounds good, excellent song by the star to be. It is a slower number, fit's Doug's voice well.



"More Today Than Yesterday" is one of the best sounding songs on the EP. Doug's vocals really do justice to the popular cover song. The rhythm guitar could be McCorkle, sounds like his style. This CD along with the New MTB greatest hits CD are both available on Amazon and MTB website. This CD is a good recording in the end, I would have loved to hear the version before it left Spartanburg.

http://www.marshalltuckerband.com/

Josh Slone and Coaltown

Josh Slone is good, real good. He knows how to make a song his and get into it, and make it come alive. Slone has been blessed with a great voice plus the tight high lonesome harmonies are great.




Rural Rhythm scores again. This recording is hot, the followup of the great opening song is a heartbreak ballad "Daddies Don't Cry" and then the real upbeat "Destination Heartbreak" which is another strong offering, nice mandolin and fiddle. This recording has a good deal of reverb and compression, but it is used tastefully. When a producer or mastering engineer uses these tools right, it adds excitement and warmth to the music.



I would love to hear his four piece band live, because it is just him on guitar, a bass player, banjo and mandolin. He has a lot of guest musicians and vocalists on this CD. It is hard to pick out which singers and players are in his band, because there are seventeen people listed as singers or musicians on the CD. But the vocals are tight and there is great Dobro, Banjo and Fiddle.



I love the material, some great song writers stuff. Songs are more like country songs done the bluegrass way. Mark Brinkman, Larry Cordle, whose "Big Blue Raindrops" is a classic. Josh really sounds like a pro, not someone who is doing his first CD.



"Bluegrass and Me" by Mike Wells who wrote alot of these songs is a great uptempo song. The arrangements may be sparse at times, but the music is always top flight. There is a great guitar solo on "Hillbilly Girl", which I'm guessing was done by Josh, because he is the only guitar picker listed.



The closer "Long Legged Woman" is a hoot with some great fiddle playing by Gerald Evans who I read that this was his last CD. That is sad news, Sounds like a man that will be missed by many.



Josh is also a very good guitar player. This is a very good CD overall with lots of great original bluegrass, wish Josh The best!!!



http://www.joshsloneandcoaltown.net/

Interview with Susan Gibson, singer-songwriter (wrote Wide Open Spaces for Dixie Chicks)

Search Amazon.com for Susan Gibson

Susan Gibson has a new CD out or will be out in a few days, it is called "Tightrope", I highly recommend it to anyone who likes acoustic music, This is the best sounding CD that I have heard this year, the sound quality is stunning, plus she has a set of ten very well written and performed songs. She is a great guitarist also and her vocals and lyrics have continued to grow since her hit with Chicks "Wide Open Spaces" .


1. Susan, "Tightrope" is a brilliant acoustic album that really has great sound quality, sparse , yet it is real warm and I love the guitar work. Tell me a little about the recording process and whether it is a digital or analog recording, it is so warm it sounds like it could be reel to reel.

(Susan's reponse)
It’s a digital recording using ProTools, and I would attribute the warmth of the album to the producer, Gabe Rhodes. But maybe it was the stained glass windows in the studio!


2. What kind of guitars were you and Gabe playing? The tone is so nice on the CD. Also, what kind of strings were you using?, I find that interesting, the tone is really unique. Do you have a collection of many guitars? Your guitar playing is excellent , and Gabe's bass and lead parts are also very good.


I play a Gibson Blues King Electro on the record and we mic-ed it. I use D’Addario medium gauge strings. Gabe does have a collection of instruments…he uses a 1919 Martin Parlor and a 1958 Gibson LG-1.


3. I am sorry to hear about your accident. i just read that the CD was finished before the accident. I am guessing that you are glad about that, it is such a fine set of songs. "The wood wouldn't burn" is a great song. Is that a true story?


Yes, the guitar in that story belongs to my friend Roger Marin, a singer-songwriter from Ontario, Canada. It was given to him by the wife of a fan who died in the house fire.


4. Really like the CD artwork, so effective and different, just black and white, Love how you open it up and the "Tightrope" turns into a guitar. Is that a town in the soundhole?


Yes, it’s a fictional town…It’s every town! The artwork was done by my friend Jess Rios from Dallas. http://www.jessrios.com/


5. This CD does not have a bad song on it, my favorites are "it's rainin' outside today, hooray!" , (Love Gabe's guitar licks), "Tightrope" , "oil and water", and all of the others. Do you have a favorite? You sort of remind me of a cross between Terri Hendrix and Carole King.


I love all the songs…but I love the chorus in Hope Diamond and I get chills every time I play The Wood Wouldn’t Burn.



6. OK, the obvious question, you wrote "Wide Open Spaces" for the Dixie Chicks which really took them off to super popularity, Both as the name of Album and as the song on the CD. How did this affect your career? When you wrote that song, did you have any idea how popular it was going to be, did you have a good feel about it? Did your friends like it? This was my favorite CD for like four years, I still like it alot.


When I wrote the song, I didn’t have any idea how popular it would be. I didn’t have any idea how the music business worked with people writing songs for other people. It’s my first original song I had written that was requested by someone I didn’t know at one of my gigs in Montana…and I remember that happening. It changed my career in the opportunities I have had since writing that song, whether it’s getting to go to a national award show or writing with other people that maybe wouldn’t have otherwise heard of me, or having an automatic handlebar for people to grab on to and remember about me. I have been Susan “The Girl Who Wrote Wide Open Spaces For the Dixie Chicks” Gibson for over a decade, and I love it!
 
http://www.susangibson.com/

"Blame it On The Bluegrass" - Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike - A Review

This bluegrass sixpack on Bell Buckle Records is a very good recording. It was the first recording ever at the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensburg, Kentucky. Valerie set up a studio in the "Cave", a room which houses the radio station at the museum. Sound quality is excellent , they brought in some very good digital recording equipment and set up in this room that did not look very sound recording friendly, but the producer did an excellent job and you can focus on six very fine bluegrass songs.




They actually recorded twelve songs , but plan to release the other six at the end of this year. Valerie has a fine ,feminine, bluegrass voice and really can sing in a natural way that compares with the best on the market today, plus she is a good guitar picker.



Blake Shelton started the six pack thing in country music very successfully releasing two sixpack CDs pretty close together.



Smith has six great songs here, "Blame It On The Bluegrass" is a very good upbeat number that is very original sounding. It would be a great song for a single.



Smith's voice is so natural and the recording is very warm sounding, not too cluttered , the arrangements are perfect for two or three part harmonies.

She goes from the upbeat to the very inspiring, "Lord, make this day Good", this is a very inspirational song.



Smith was a new name to me, but I love every thing about her, she has a great heart for good sounding bluegrass. Last year, she spent time in Kentucky schools, educating youngsters about bluegrass, that is an awesome thing to do.



http://www.valeriesmithonline.com/

" Hellos Goodbyes & Butterflies" - Donna Hughes - A Review

Donna Hughes second album that I have reviewed , "Hellos Goodbyes & Butterflies" is another very consistent piece of work. Her type of songwriting stays pretty much the same, and her sweet emotive vocals are still excellent, the big difference in her new CD is that JD Crowe produced it , while Tony Rice produced her other CD that I have heard. She has two other CDs before these That I can not comment on. Tony liked her piano playing, so on "Gaining Wisdom" , she played some piano, it is more of a sparse, but very well produced CD in the quality of the recording, very clean.




JD Crowes production is more bluegrass in the traditional sense, with lots of good dobro, Randy Kohrs and Rob Ickes. Also, a very good, clean recording ,featuring the stringed instruments and Hughes' excellent vocals and melodies. There are fifteen songs here, all written by Hughes, who is a very prolific writer , probably written about 300 songs by now. As Tony Rice fitted the production to Donna's songs and voice, I see that in JD Crowes work too. She is not your real traditional old timey bluegrass singer, with lots of banjo and fiddle going all the time. The music is mostly guitars ,dobro , some mandolin, but it hones in more as a southern sounding set that is definitely bluegrass flavored, but original in that Hughes' songs are original. She has has had her songs recorded by Alison Krauss and also the group Seldom Scene. Donna actually sounds alot like Alison Krauss and Union Station at places on this CD. It is quite amazing how, she can be so prolific with her music and bring out some really good songs that catch your attention. "Dr. Jekyll, Mr Hyde" is a very good song with a good set of hooks and a very realistic setting for the song. It is emotional , like something she lived. My personal favorite is "God Don't Make Mistakes" , that song really moves me each time that I hear it. and "Mid-Life Crisis" , songs based on life and stories, but isn't that what bluegrass and country music are all about. Also, Donna has some real good harmony's on the tracks.



Personaly, Hughes is a real talent , between being a songwriter and Bluegrass performer. She just seem to keep getting better.

www.donnahughes.com

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"Mississippi Rain" - Badhorse" - A Review

Reviewing a single is fun because I really get to concentrate on just one song. I just got this today, and am listening to the CD single for the first time. Man, I love that lead guitar , classic country, rock stuff. I had never heard of Badhorse, but they have quite a resume'.
It's raining tonight in Philly and I mean "Cats and Dogs".

This is a country ROCK ballad, that has a great set of hooks, The singer to this song has got a warm emotive voice. You know, had it not been for a wonderful person who sent me this, I would have never heard like this, This is a very good recording, with that Big Studio sound and some strings tastefully placed in the mix. The drums are real good, just love the guitar licks, really fit in with the vocals and do not overpower them, even the guy takes off, He has his own sound. This is definitely radio Friendly, a very hot performance with great vocals and the song itself, is a great vehicle for the mix. This is a very good band that has opened for the big guys , like the Sensational new Zac Brown. If they put out much more like this, These groups will be opening for Badhorse.
Well, I have to give it a thumbs up, very good song. With the right promotion and some luck, it's a winner. I say that with some Sarcasm, because I think We all know that the best song is not always picked, but my best wishes for BadHorse and "Mississippi Rain".

"Things That Fly" - Infamous Stringdusters - A Review

Listening to this on a good DVD player is a real experience. Theses guys are talented musicians, and since their last 2 CDs ,which were more Bluegrass sounding. These guys have really taken off into a sound that is almost orchestral. When you have Gary Paczosa in tow, the man for acoustic recordings in Nashville or where ever he is and then having it mastered by Doug Sax, well, not going to get better sound quality than that. I have heard many of Paczosa's recordings since 2000, including "One Moment More" by Mindy Smith which also had Doug Sax mastering it. You just can't lose, He knows how to put singers and musicians in the place to succeed.

On this CD, It starts out sounding very modern almost like chamber music, with the quality of sound on the instruments is other worldy. On track #9, there is a beautiful little 45 second number, which leads into track 10, a first time real normal structured song, and from there on in, the music becomes more of a vehicle of expression, that Falco and Hall do well with. I would compare the music here to the Punch Brothers. Just some real great musicianship.

The Allman Brothers Band - Still jamming!!!

I was checking out music on "ON DEMAND" on TV and saw the Allman Brothers, which was a show of their yearly tuneup in NYC. It is the lineup with Derek Trucks on guitar and Warren Haynes on guitar. Butch Trucks looked healthy wand was really into it. Bassist Oteil Burbridge sounded very well. They played for about 30 minutes,and it was a good representation of where they are at. Both guitarists played slide , on one song, which was an instrumental , the leads had a jazzy feel to them. I have put a youtube of the more original band for you to enjoy, you can always buy a disc of their latest music on their website store.