Reviews
THE SPINNEY BROTHERS, TRIED & TRUE
THE SPINNEY BROTHERS TRIED & TRUE Mountain Fever Records MFR140812 By now, listeners pretty much know what to expect from a Spinney Brothers recording. The brothers have found what works, and they adhere to it, refining and improving when need be, but largely following in the groove that got them where they are. Hence the…
BILLY STRINGS AND DON JULIN, FIDDLE TUNE X
BILLY STRINGS AND DON JULIN FIDDLE TUNE X No Label No Number Ordinarily, recordings with this many standards elicit a general yawn. What saves it is the technical skill level of the performers—Billy Strings on guitar and lead vocals and Don Julin on the mandolin and occasional harmony. What really saves it, lifting it to…
WAYFARING STRANGERS: THE MUSICAL VOYAGE FROM SCOTLAND AND ULSTER TO APPALACHIA
WAYFARING STRANGERS: THE MUSICAL VOYAGE FROM SCOTLAND AND ULSTER TO APPALACHIA BY FIONA RITCHIE AND DOUG ORR UNC Press 9781469618227. Foreword by Dolly Parton, CD included, 384 pp., $39.95. (UNC Press, 116 S. Boundary St., Chapel Hill, NC 27514, uncpress.unc.edu.) This much-anticipated book has, I’m glad to say, lived up to—and surpassed—expectations, and now takes…
AMY GALLATIN & STILLWATERS, EVERYTHING I WANTED LOVE TO BE
AMY GALLATIN & STILLWATERS EVERYTHING I WANTED LOVE TO BE Happy Appy Records HAR-9 Put plainly, Amy Gallatin is a fine and appealing vocalist, with a warmth, incisiveness, and sincerity to engagingly deliver a range of songs. You might hear echoes of singers as great and as varied as Emmylou Harris or Hazel Dickens, but…
RED JUNE, ANCIENT DREAMS
RED JUNE ANCIENT DREAMS Organic Records OR15292 With one foot firmly planted in Appalachian tradition and the other stretching to reach new ground, Red June showcases stellar three-part harmonies and incredible instrumental work on this third CD. The previous projects (their debut Remember Me Well and the 2012 release Beauty Will Come) garnered strong attention….
THE SONGWRITER IN ME: SNAPSHOTS OF MY CREATIVE PROCESS
THE SONGWRITER IN ME: SNAPSHOTS OF MY CREATIVE PROCESS BY DONNA ULISSE Hadley Music Group 9780578139661. Paperback, black & white photos, 158 pp. (Hadley Music Group, P.O. Box 290184, Nashville, TN 37229, www.hadleymusicgroup.com.) Donna Ulisse has been nominated for IBMA Songwriter Of The Year three years running. Her songs have been recorded by Del McCoury,…