Artist Spotlight Archives

John Starling And Carolina Star are "Slidin' Home"

Eliza D.

A+

There's a brand new band in the world of bluegrass. John Starling has reunited with Mike Auldridge and Tom Gray of the Seldom Scene to form Carolina Star. They recorded this album with a "live/head-on" studio recording option, keeping overdubs to a minimum. And it shows.

Starling says, "For the new project, we felt that modern, high resolution digital recording and mixing techniques, a good acoustic environment, and musician practice prior to, not on, recording day, could once again make the process fun for everybody."

The group kicks off the album with Jimmie Rogers' "Waiting For A Train." The sound is clean, crisp--and it sounds like I'm in the studio listening to them play rather than listening to a recording.

"Cold Hard Business" is depressing, as Starling says in the press release, but it has an uplifting message behind it.

"South Riding Tango" has that feeling of being in the studio because one instrument comes from the left speaker, one from the right, and the third comes from both. A great instrumental to listen to with headphones because it feels as if the music is surrounding you from all sides.

Emmylou Harris lends her beautiful voice (and her pen) to Gram Parsons' "In My Hour Of Darkness." You don't hear great story songs like this much anymore.

I love "The Riverboat Song." Because I have relatives in New Orleans and we visit them once (sometimes twice) a year, it's like my second home. And I always climb the steps on Decatur Street to the park by the Mississippi River. It's a beautiful sight to behold, just like this is a beautifully crafted song.

John Starling says in the Song x Song that Hank Williams made "They'll Never Take Her Love From Me" a classic, but I think a new classic has been made in this new recording of the song. The fiddle adds a sad sweetness to this song.

I love Jay Starling's piano solo on "Willin'." Yet the song also has a Lap Steel solo, and the song is, as John Starling says, "the musical metaphor for the 70's."

The group includes Ricky Skaggs' rollicking "Irish Spring" as the ninth track. It sucks you in at the first note and keeps you engrossed until the very end.

I can't forget to mention the awesome harmony vocals of Jon Randall on this CD. They add so much character to six tracks on this CD, including the sweet "Prayer For My Friends."

If you're looking for a pure bluegrass CD to listen to, this is definitely one you should buy on February 20! I'm predicting we will hear much more from John Starling and Carolina Star. The future is bright!

Van Cleve Needs "No Apologies"

Eliza D.

This is Jim Van Cleve's first solo album. The first track, Nature of the Beast," was composed by Van Cleve. I hate to compare musicians, but it has the kind of creative licks that Chris Thile of Nickel Creek composes. You never know quite where it's going. There's a part near the end I like that reminds me of a train slowing down then speeding up again.

One of my favorite songs on this album is "Let The Big Dog Eat." It's the shortest song on the CD, but it packs a LOT of bluegrass music in two minutes and seven seconds. The third track, "Fall Creek Falls," is so melodic I was sure there had to be lyrics to it--but Van Cleve didn't write any. "I kept thinking that I'd end up writing words to it, but for some reason, every time I would try, they always seemed to get in the way of the melody!" he says in the liner notes. And by the time it ends, I realize I didn't miss the non-existent lyrics.

I love "Way It Always Seems To Go." Jon Weisberger co-wrote this song with Van Cleve. It has a traditional country feel, especially with the fiddle and Rob Ickes' resophonic guitar. The title "Devil's Courthouse" is exactly what the song is. Lots of picking. It was sounded a little eerie to me since there was a storm going on while I was listening to it.

I can really relate to "Highlands." Van Cleve says it is "not unlike a raft ride on the Nantahala River that runs through the mountains near Highlands, North Carolina." When I was growing up, my parents took me to my great uncle's cabin on the banks of Lake Burton in the Northeastern corner of Georgia. It took three hours to get there and the last hour was always my favorite. We took a twisting, winding road that led us up and down mountains and finally to a steep gravel road winding up the side of a mountain. That journey reminds me of this song, and more importantly, it took me back to my childhood--if only for five minutes.

There are so many influences for today's bluegrass musicians, and Van Cleve really lets his composing chops shine on "Grey Afternoon." And yes, there are lyrics to this song...but they aren't included on this version. I'd like to see this song on his next CD complete with lyrics. I'm betting it will be a completely different listening experience. "Grey Afternoon" is the longest tune on this CD, coming in at six minutes and eighteen seconds.

Van Cleve includes a legend of bluegrass on his debut CD by including a blindingly-fast "Wheel Hoss" written by the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. If this were performed at the Grand Ole Opry, I think it would bring every single person to their feet. Van Cleve's fiddle playing really shines through on this song.

"Scars" hits home for me for many reasons. This song is utterly and devastatingly beautiful. It is made even more beautiful by the lovely voice talents of Sonya Isaacs. The chorus: "I wouldn't change a thing/They're such a part of me/They make me who I am/No apologies--for these scars, scars." My favorite song on the entire CD.

This is an awesome debut CD from Jim Van Cleve. Usually with debut artists, there are some satisfactory songs on the CD--you wonder why they would be chosen for a debut album. There are no satisfactory songs on this CD. Every song is fantastic. Being a member of Mountain Heart first, I think, made this solo CD easier to record for him. And if you are a bluegrass fan--or even a country fan--and you don't buy this CD when it is released on May 9, you will be missing out on THE bluegrass album of the year. I wish Van Cleve much success with this debut CD and look forward to hearing his next one!

"New Tattoo": An Experimentation In Bluegrass

A-

By Eliza D.

The John Cowan Band's new release, "New Tattoo," is definitely worthy of a listen--or ten. The title song, "Carla's Got A New Tattoo," is true bluegrass, but there's also a slight haunting lilt to parts of it. It's a fun song and will definitely have your toes a'tappin'.

Love the intro to "Love's Like Rain." I felt like I was in the country when I was listening to this rather than in my mother's rheumatologist office in busy Marietta. This tune veers a little more towards country, but I like it a lot. The song really speaks to those who have love but want love as well.

Patty Griffin lends her beautiful voice to background vocals on "Misery and Happiness." This song has more of a pop/rock feel to it, but you still hear mandolins, etc. A good song, but the ending is stretched out quite a bit. Nevertheless, the ending is cool because the electric guitar kept traveling from one speaker to another.

"Hurting Sure" is about a man whose love left him but he's glad because he knows "life's alive and lot a play." This has a definite bluegrass/country feel. Great harmony. This band reminds me a little of the harmony Ricochet had.

Robbie Fulks wrote "In Bristol Town". A great story and a haunting feel to it thanks to the bass harmonica. Not exactly bluegrass--it has a bit of a rock twinge to it--but who says bluegrass can only include a mandolin, guitar, banjo, and fiddle? Bluegrass music was invented by the greats and has been experimented with ever since.

"6 Red Birds (In A Joshua Tree)" has a Native American music feel to it. The song talks about "life beyond the grave" in a blunt and straight-out way.

In the "Working In The New Mine" lyrics in the liner notes, the words fret board are used in the first verse instead of the mentioned "washboard." True bluegrass and a toe-tapping tune you'll want to listen to again.

"Back To Your Arms" is my second favorite song on the entire CD. Bluegrass through and through.

You'll never forget the first couple seconds of "With A Memory Like Mine." A good haunting bluegrass song and an excellent mandolin solo. My only beef about the liner notes is that two people play the same two instruments and you don't know who's playing on which track.

I think my favorite song is "Tomorrow Morning." The opening verse: "This may not last until tomorrow/So look at all the love you borrow/And time will tell us all/We could be laughing/We could be married/Tomorrow morning." This group reminds me a little of Nickel Creek because they experiment with bluegrass to create a new sound on this song.

"Drown" is probably the most important song on the CD to the John Cowan Band. It deals with the mental and physical turmoil regarding child molestation. A great song. Darrell Scott plays a toy-like piano that adds to the emotional heartbreak of the song.

This is definitely another masterpiece from the John Cowan Band!

No 'Heartaches' Here

The Grascals Play On

By Eliza D.

Grade: A+

The Grascals will release their second album, Long List Of Heartaches, on August 29. Guests appearing are numerous--George Jones, Dierks Bentley, Steve Wariner, The Jordanaires, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Lloyd Green, Bob Mater, and Kent Wells. The band does on this album what most don't do--they have thirteen songs on the CD. Obviously they don't believe in what some say is an unlucky number and it certainly isn't unlucky for them.

"Home" is self-explanatory and features instrumental solos from all the members. It's not a very long song, coming in at just over two minutes, but it is a great song.

"Long List Of Heartaches" is a letter, of sorts, to the woman the narrator used to love and now she's "at the top of" his "long list of heartaches." An excellent hook.

"You Don't Have Very Far To Go" sounds like a traditional country tune with its fantastic harmony, fiddle, and steel guitar. The banjo is just barely there in the background but still adds so much character to the song. One of my favorite songs on the album. It's written by Merle Haggard and Red Simpson. I could easily see George Strait singing this song.

"Will You Be Loving Another Man" is a great fast, toe-tapping tune written by Lester Flatt and the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. There is a wonderful banjo solo from David Talbot.

Dierks Bentley joins Terry Eldredge on "Being Me" about a man torn between devil and angel. Bentley's voice really fits into this song nicely. At the end of the song Bentley says "la dee dee" is hillbilly for "se la vi."

You can really hear the harmony of The Grascals on "Hard Times," which talks about a man who is tired of working. I love the chorus, which begins "Hard times, knockin', knockin', knockin' at my door." It's one of those songs that have memorable lyrics that will get in your head.

"Cut Your Wheels" is the only instrumental track on the entire CD, which is somewhat disappointing. Nevertheless, it is contagious--I found myself nodding my head and tapping my foot in my mother's rheumatologist office while listening to it.

In "Don't Tell Mama" George Jones plays the older version of a man who sees a drunken teen swerve off the road and who not too much later dies. As the boy dies, he asks the man "Don't tell Mama I was drinking." A great story song--there are fewer and fewer of those in country music now, so I'm glad bluegrass is stepping up to the plate and carrying on the tradition of recording great story songs.

I was impressed with the press kit I received with this CD. It contained a complete list of liner notes, who played which instrument, a press release about the CD, and a complete list of track times. On most advances I get this is not included, so getting this was a great bonus.

Steve Wariner and Harley Alllen penned "Hoedown In Motown." Warner plays a mean acoustic guitar! Love the writers' dislike of wrap, "you can't dance to that," they write. My favorite track on the entire CD.

If The Grascals' future albums are just as good--or better--than Long List Of Heartaches, I have no doubt this group will be around for many years to come--and I'm hoping one day they will get the honor of being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Talent like this doesn't come along every day--but I'm glad it came to my mailbox. I can't wait to review their next CD. More instrumentals, please!

George Strait Offers A "Fresh Cut Christmas"

By Eliza D.

I probably picked one of the dreariest days of the month to listen to this CD. It was raining, cold, and foggy as I drove to campus on November 7. However, it was a joy listening to George Strait's "Fresh Cut Christmas" in the midst of such a dark, gloomy day and it brightened my day considerably.

There are ten tracks on the CD and I wish there had been more. The CD doesn't have a "canned' feel to it--it sounds just like a regular studio album that Strait recorded. George arranged every song on the CD, so while every song has the original lyrics, Strait has added his signature traditional country style to each tune on the CD. "For this album, I selected some favorite traditional Christmas songs--the ones I grew up hearing and singing--and added a little country flavor to make them sound more like me," Strait says in the CD insert.

I enjoyed every song on this album. There isn't an audible flaw to be heard. My favorite song has to be "Up On The Housetop," mainly because it brings back memories of going to sleep as a child on Christmas Eve and waking up the next morning to find a small pile of Christmas presents under the tree with my name on them--as well as a stocking filled with fruit, chocolate, and money.

My second favorite song is "Jingle Bells." Most people know the first verse, but few sing (or know) the second verse, which Strait sings on this CD. The bells really add the spirit of Christmas to the song.

Strait sings the fun songs--"Jingle Bells," "Up On The Housetop," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," "O Christmas Tree" and "Deck The Halls" marvelously, but the other songs--"Joy To The World," "We Three Kings," "Silent Night," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" are sung beautifully and really make this a Christmas album, not a politically correct holiday album. You can tell each song is sung with sincerity and heartfelt reverence.

There are excellent musicians on this CD as well. Stuart Duncan plays an awesome fiddle and mandolin, and other musicians--Eddie Bayers, Glen Worf, Steve Gibson, Brent Mason, Steve Nathan, Paul Franklin, and Eric Darken make beautiful music together. Thom Flora and Andrea Zonn harmonize well with Strait.

If you haven't bought this CD yet, I encourage you to run, not walk, to your nearest Hallmark Gold Crown store and purchase it. It will instantly put you in the Christmas spirit, and isn't Christmas spirit something we need more of?