ANTIQUE PERSUASION DON’T FORGET ME LITTLE DARLING: REMEMBERING THE CARTER FAMILY

ANTIQUE PERSUASION
DON’T FORGET ME LITTLE DARLING: REMEMBERING THE CARTER FAMILY

Voxhall Records
VHR 12003

This is a tale of two concepts; as in one of the best albums of the year released in 2015 that unfortunately bears one of the worst band names in recent memory. Rest assured, I love this recording. But, whoever came up with the moniker Antique Persuasion needs to rethink their band-naming abilities. Antique Persuasion sounds like a bad cover band from the 1970s, as in one of those albums where no musicians are listed in the liner notes that was put out by studio heads who wanted to compete with the 1001 Strings and Tijuana Brass crowd back in the day. How the name made it through the cut is beyond me.

Once you get past the Captain and Tennille aspect of the title, however, the concept and musicianship on Don’t Forget Me Little Darling: Remembering The Carter Family is simply wonderful. The idea was to take the music of the Carter Family and record it using today’s best technology, bringing to life those great songs acoustically with modern musical sensibilities as if they were just written. Expertly produced by Jimmy Metts, the music of the Carter Family is recreated in a sweet and special way by Brandon Rickman, Jenee Fleenor, and Brennen Leigh. Rickman is the guitarist and lead singer for the Lonesome River band, Fleenor is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who plays in Blake Shelton’s group, and Leigh is an Austin-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Mark Fain adds bass to the recording. All three voices breathe new life into this classic American music catalog, letting the listener see sides of the Carter Family that they may have missed with a more stereotypical approach. (www.voxhallrecords.com)DH