1 comments about Back Roads to Cold Mountain.

1. First, this is not the soundtrack to the Cold Mountain movie. That recording, released a year or so ago, featured talented modern musicians who recreated the 19th-Century music from the film and the Charles Frazier novel on which it was based. Back Roads to Cold Mountain covers much (and more) of the same material, except as it was done by authentic mountain musicians.
   
   With one or two exceptions, these songs and tunes were alive during the Civil War. They survived into the early and mid-20th Century, to be rediscovered by folksong collectors. Most selections come from Folkways' deep archives, ably picked by John Cohen, whose recordings with the New Lost City Ramblers introduced many of us to the Appalachian tradition during the 1960s folk revival and after. Frazier himself, who provides the introduction to the enclosed booklet, explains how this music inspired his novel, set in Civil War-era North Carolina. Cohen's extensive liner notes and annotations are informative and engrossing.
   
   Few of the musicians are likely to be familiar, though names like the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Roscoe Holcomb, and Tommy Jarrell will resonate with those who have at least passing knowledge of the tradition. The performances are always inspired, sometimes rawly emotional in a way that has vanished from today's music; sometimes a performance may be even a little frightening, for one dramatic example Oscar Parks's angry rant at the conclusion of the ballad "The Battle of Stone River." French Carpenter's fiddle tune "Camp Chase," on the other hand, aches with mournful beauty.
   
   The sound quality, thanks to modern technology, is so perfectly executed that it serves to erase distance between listener and performer. Time and geography roll away, and you're right there on a back porch or a church bench, hearing the ballads, fiddle pieces, and hymns in person. There is a dark magic in this old music, and Back Roads evokes it brilliantly.

5 comments about Fonotone Records 1956-1969.

1. A lot of the performances are horrid, some of the arrangements are insipid. There ended up being about 30 tunes and songs here that were of interest--and over 100 that I'll never listen to again. In many ways, it's a beautifully packaged vanity project of limited interest musically.



2. I was lucky enough to get to attend the release party for the Fonotone Records box set last Thursday in Atlanta. I got to meet Joe Bussard and hear a band from Tennessee whose family is on the set. I couldn't have had a better time. I bought a copy of the Fonotone set at the show and have been listening to it non-stop all weekend. What a great job Dust-to-Digital did in presenting this music, and what a great job Joe Bussard did in recording it.



3. Being a fan of pre-war old-time music and post-war field sessions by Lomax and other, I thought that this box, even though pricey, would certainly be worth it. I was, unfortunately, wrong. Though there are some mighty good tracks to be had with this set, it really could be boiled down to one or possibly two discs. Most of the material is tepid and folky and very affected sounding, completely unlike the pre-war material and and authentic field-sessions. Some of the guitar performances by Blind Thomas (Fahey) and B. Sam Firk (Stewart) are inspired but those with vocals by them are downright awful. Plus, adding to the unnecessary cost is the hard-to-read notes and the mysterious bottle-opener...



4. The Fonotone Records box takes me back to a time in music history I never had the chance to experience. So glad Dust-to-Digital has offered such a diverse sampling of a truly influential era in Southern music history; a chance to connect even further with my Southern roots.
   
   This cleverly assembled boxed set is as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the ears! Joe Bussard and his crew were truly "pickin' and grinnin"!



5. The Fonotone boxed set is outstanding. The quality and selection of the music and the packaging were done with great respect to the artists.
   
   When I listened to the music it took me back to my earliest childhood memories. The cigar box with the book, postcards and pictures, and even the bottle opener placed me back into that era of time. I believe Joe Bussard and the artists would be proud of their legacy "living on". I know my experience with the set created a greater sense of appreciation of their efforts and their contribution to my life.
   
   Thanks again Joe and the people at Dust to Digital!

2 comments about Show Me Your Way.

1. You may or may not approve of Campbell's turn to Christianity. Don't let that keep you from this disc. It is a tightly crafted, well produced, marvelously song collection of songs. If you enjoy Glen Campbell, you will love this disc.



2. 1. Greatest Gift of All
   2. Jesus and Me
   3. Where I Am Going
   4. The Wayward Son
   5. Unto the Least of These
   6. Show Me Your Way
   7. This Savior I Sing of Today
   8. A Few Good Men
   9. Where Shadows Never Fall
   10. The Four Horsemen

No comments about Gospel Music of Johnny Cash.

5 comments about The Door.

1. Everyone knows what a great entertainer Charlie Daniels is, but not everyone knows what a great Christian man he is. I admire Charlie for sharing his God-given talent, and at the same time, sharing his devout love for Jesus Christ.



2. I thought I had faith for the last 40 years of my life, but this CD was introduced to me in my deepest time of dispair, Thanks be to God, who stretched out the heavens, throught faith in Jesus Christ, has sent me a comforter and reveled to me wonders of his creation. This CD will bring you to your knees as Satan looses his grip and one opens their heart to the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings.



3. I love "The Door" I have went thru 2 cassettes. I thought It was time to buy a CD. If you like Charlie, You will love this. I believe its his best. His face glows with the love of the Lord.



4. I was raised on Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and the old hymns, but this is one of my favorite albums of all time. I love it! I get some strange looks, but I don't care. It's great! It's about as opposite as it gets from my past, and I still love that too, but get this if you don't have it. The performance is first class professional and the messages in the songs are soul stirring and soul healing.



5. This Cd is fantastic. I love the Jerusalem Trilogy. All of my family members love the "Crucify Him" song. The Power of Prayer is another great song. This soundtrack is full of different musical styles, great lyrics, and is better than a lot of the Christian contemporary cds. I love it.

5 comments about Gospel Glory.

1. When this arrived it propmtly got on our Sunday playlist, and stayed there form many months.
   If "Were You There When They Crucified my Lord" doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, you may be dead.



2. Since I like gospel music, this is one of the better ones of all the classics that never go out of style.



3. BUYER BEWARE--Based on the sound of the recording, the 1990 issue date, and the total lack of any mention of remastering on the packaging, it's clear that this is NOT a remastered recording. Still, the music is great (it gets 5 stars) and at $7 the price is right even for a old CD with primitive mastering. But I am pretty annoyed at Amazon for the false advertising, hence the low rating for this product.



4. GOSPEL GLORY by Johnny Cash is a GREAT Gospel CD, despite its lack of modern remastering. This used to be my FAVORITE Johnny Cash Gospel CD until I got his JUST AS I AM (1999) album on CD, and I found out that 9 of the 10 songs on GOSPEL GLORY are on JUST AS I AM, plus 11 other Gospel tunes from Johnny. Just as I Am
   
   Although, "Daddy Sang Bass" is the only true Johnny Cash chart hit song on this CD, GOSPEL GLORY also has many all-time classic Christian songs, which are all great as Johnny Cash renditions, too!
   
   GOSPEL GLORY is a career compilation of Gospel tunes. GOD is an equally good collection of Johnny Cash tunes, but it does not have has many classic, traditional Gospel songs as GOSPEL GLORY. God
   
   MY MOTHER'S HYMN BOOK is Johnny's best Gospel album that was recorded and intended to originally appear on a single CD, all at once. MY MOTHER'S HYMN BOOK is just Johnny strumming his acoustic guitar, while singing tunes he's sang since childhood when he learned them from his mom, singing them out of her Hymn book, just like the album title says! It has a good CD booklet with Johnny talking about each song, too. My Mother's Hymn Book
   
   And don't miss the incredibly cool spoken word project of Johnny Cash reading the entire NEW TESTAMENT of the Bible, over 16 CDs, very affordably priced! Johnny Cash Reads the Complete New Testament: Collector's Edition



5. Though I knew this was a gospel CD, it was not up to his other recodings.

5 comments about Always Never Enough.

1. This is an awesome CD, nearly every song is incredibly crafted and performed. Their newer CDs aren't nearly as good in my opinion.



2. The only thing I can say is: I know what I like and I LIKE THIS!
   Their vocal harmonies are lovely and so is the musicianship. My fourteen-year-old daughter loves this Bluegrass group.



3. Bluegrass aficionados will be familiar with the guitar playing of Kenny Smith from his stints with Claire Lynch's Front Porch String Band and his time in the Lonesome River Band. Smith also cut a solo album in 1997, and has a popular instructional DVD on the market. He formed his own band in 2001 with then new bride Amanda, and banjo wizard Steve Huber. Over the years the band has hosted a few bass and mandolin players, most recently Alan Bartram and newcomer Jason Robertson. Bartram also contributes his song "She's On My Mind" to this release.
   
   Kenny Smith and Steve Huber are longtime jamming partners, and though they're both stellar pickers, they lay back a bit this time out to shift the spotlight to the group's vocals. The band turns up the tempo on the cantering opener "Always Never Enough" and a cover of Webb Pierce's "A Thousand Miles Ago," and they hot-pick for the driving "What You Do What You Do." But where the band is truly distinctive are on slow and mid-tempo tunes where the group's tight harmonies provide spiritually-tinged backings. The contemplative "Pacific Time" and the intricately picked and sung "Going By Again" are particular standouts. [©2005 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]



4. Playing Time - 42:43 -- Kenny Smith hails from Nine Mile, Indiana although he currently lives in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. He won the 1992 guitar contest at Merlefest, and placed at Winfield in 92, 93, and 94. From 1993-4, Kenny was a member of Claire Lynch's Front Porch String Band. In 1994, he joined the Lonesome River Band. His first solo album was released in 1997. In 1998 and 1999, he won IBMA Guitar Player of the Year awards. In 2001, Kenny left the Lonesome River Band to perform in a duo with his wife Amanda. They'd met in 1995 at a Lonesome RiverBand concert and married soon thereafter. In 2003, Kenny and Amanda won IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year Award.
   
   Smith's solo project, "Studebaker," showcased his songwriting abilities and talented wife's soulful singing. A few years have now passed since Kenny and Amanda Smith turned plenty of heads with their gem, "Slowly but Surely" (Farm Boy FBR-1001), that included band members Ronald Inscore, Jason Moore, Steve Huber, and Ron Stewart. It helped formulate the band's original, contemporary sound characterized by beautiful vocals, expert picking, solid arrangements, excellent repertoire, and high recording quality. They released their second album, "House Down the Block," in January 2004.
   
   This group's second release on the distinguished Rebel Records label came to my attention when I heard the title track (written by Tim Stafford and Steve Gulley) as the lead off song on Volume 75 of Prime Cuts of Bluegrass. The Kenny & Amanda Smith Band have a mellifluous bluegrass sound that varies quick-paced romps with beautiful and emotionally-rendered ballads
   
   The band has had a couple personnel changes. Whiz banjo-player Steve Huber is still with the Smiths, but "Always Never Enough" introduces Jason Robertson (mandolin) and Alan Bartram (bass). Robertson is young player with a very tasty and clean, crisp sound which I personally would've liked strengthened in the mix. Also a quality songwriter, Bartram penned "She`s on my Mind." Although a minor criticism, I still believe that this band's sound would be enhanced with some fiddle and/or dobro in a few spots. Their choice of material, on this project particularly, begs for some incorporation of these instruments. As did their "House Down the Block" release. However, I can also understand and fully appreciate the artists' own personal vision and desired signature sound to instead emphasize vocals, banjo, guitar, and mandolin as the primary vehicles for their musical expression.
   
   The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band's "Always Never Enough" offers good harmony, straight-ahead picking, and very solid song selection with thoughtful messages and varied tempos. While Kenny, a decent songwriter himself, didn't pen any of the numbers, the band draws material from some favorite sources -- Tim Stafford, Becky Buller, and their own Alan Bartram. They also like to cover some country classics, in this album's case it's Webb Pierce and Mel Tillis' "A Thousand Miles Ago." The album closes with a song that connects all their bluegrass dots to the past, Carter Stanley's "Our Last Goodbye." It's an interesting arrangement that modulates to a different key and which characterizes their sound -- fluid picking, spiritually-tinged harmonies, and high amperage in their musical currents. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)



5. Superb, this disc is wonderful, from the first song Always Never, , the calm Pacific Time and the haughty Dig to little deep, my favorite one, all the songs are fantastic, Amanda's voice, Kenny's guitar and all the rest musicians are incredible .. recommended all the lovers of the bluegrass, and of the good music .. I do not tire of listening to this disc and other two works are also haughty .. a greeting from Spain
   Joaquin

3 comments about I Saw The Light.

1. wonderful old music. brought back many great memories. many words we should all think of everyday. People today have lost their love of one another. We need to get back the old standards or how we treat out neighbors. We have the 33 rpm record and now enjoy having the CD to play while traveling.



2. Every cut on this CD is great, as with most Hank Williams offerings. The often left out "Angel of Death" makes this CD a great collection. Buy it, you won't be sorry.



3. How many thought you'd be getting the original LP that has been around for almost 45 years (it was issued on a 10 inch LP in 1957)? I thought so also, so I rushed out and bought this...

   What they don't tell you until you open up the CD (and then it's not exactly explicit) is this all comes from "The Complete Hank Williams" and none of the original overdubs are on here.

   I know we're in a period where that "unplugged" is really popular and everyone of these songs are great, but there are going to be a lot of people who think they're buying this in it's original LP format. The former CD version of this came up many times in a STEREO overdubbed release with a horrendous amount of tape noise, so you'd think that the way the title reads, it's the original LP with stereo overdubbing stripped.

   So, were the recordings on "Complete" not remastered? Again, something doesn't make sense here. Take a look at my edited review on "Complete" and you will see enough alternates left off to market a CD without using ANY takes from "Complete". But, of course, Kira Florita and Colin Escott take no interest in that. These takes are all sitting in Mercury's vaults awaiting a big September 2003 release when they will "discover" more material and have legal "rights" to the Mother's Best shows.

5 comments about More to This Life.

1. In the days I was purchasing mostly cassettes so I can listen to them on my Walkman (the 1980s/90 miserable equivalent to the iPod), I bought this CD back in it's heyday because of the bonus song.
   
   To this day, this is my favorite CD by Steven and his others just don't measure up. I have always enjoyed Steven's music which is contemporary and mades "religious" music more appealing to me back in my younger days. This album seems to find the perfect balance between Pop and Christian with some acoustic work and without the cheesiness that is evident on previous albums.
   
   This album has more ballads with very meaningful lyrics than uptempo and so that may be a drawback for those wanting more upbeat music. In a way, I like that about this album because sometimes we need to slow it down and think about things that are more important than our everyday activities.
   
   My all-time favorites on this album are:
   More To This Life
   Waiting For Lightning
   I Will Be Here
   Treasure Island
   Way Beyond The Blue
   More Than Words
   Out In The Highways



2. Steven Curtis Chapman's More to This Life holds a soft spot in my heart, as it was the first album of his that I ever heard. (I was already familiar with some of his previous singles, such as "His Eyes.") Released in the summer of 1989, it easily contained the young (still in his mid-20s) singer/songwriter's best work to that date. Gone were the pop/rock sounds of Real Life Conversations (1988) that Chapman indisputably needed to grow into before he could effectively use them. Instead, More to This Life found Chapman majoring on a country/pop style with which he clearly was comfortable. The ability to play to his musical strengths may have allowed Chapman to spend more time on lyrics; the cliches found in abundance on his previous two albums mostly are missing from this go-round. Consequently, Chapman sounds considerably more confident and comfortable in his own skin on this album than on his first two projects. As a result, he created a near-classic contemporary Christian music album.
   
   The album contains at least two classic Chapman tunes. The title track that opens the album begins with a sobering set of observations concerning everyday people and leads Chapman to ask the big questions that everyone faces at some point in his or her life: Why am I here? What makes life worth living? Chapman answers these questions by pointing to Jesus Christ's death on the cross. At the album's midpoint, "I Will Be Here" is a song of marital commitment amidst difficulties that quickly, and justifiably, became a standard evangelical Christian wedding song. (It was the first dance song for me and my wife!) Both of these songs may have lasted because they relate to personal situations in Chapman's life: he thought of the lyrics to the title track when returning from a relative's funeral, and the lyrics to "I Will Be Here" served as Chapman's declaration of commitment to his wife after his own parents divorced later in life.
   
   The other songs are almost invariably very good in quality. "Love You With My Life" is a catchy pop tune about commitment to God. "Waiting for Lightning" is a moving ballad about how Christians too often miss God's direction because they're looking for signs and wonders. "Who Makes the Rules," which lyrically calls listeners to obedience to God, is mercifully the only imitation-Huey Lewis song on this album; Chapman's handlers evidently were finally getting the picture that their artist couldn't be fit into that box musically. (Mark O'Connor's violin on the song also helps distance the song a bit from Huey Lewis imitation land.) "Treasure Island" and "Way Beyond the Blue" place in the forefront Chapman's grounded, practical imagination: comparing following God to a pirates' adventure and Air Force service provides the same type of metaphors that would become more prominent with Chapman's breakaway hit "The Great Adventure" a few years later. "In This Little Room" and "More Than Words" are personal, intimate declarations of intention that may prove moving to listeners.
   
   That leaves only two subpar songs, and even they're still good. "Living for the Moment's" lyrics go hand-in-hand thematically with "More to This Life" and "Love You With My Life," but it lacks effective musical hooks. "Out on the Highways" was the album's bonus CD track, a marketing standard common when CDs were relatively new and music companies were trying to get people to switch to the new medium. There's nothing really wrong with the song, but despite a people-on-the-street theme that somewhat hearkens back to the album's opening track, it's neither all that memorable nor as effective an album closer as "More Than Words."
   
   Speaking of "More Than Words," I'd argue that both it and "Way Beyond the Blue" are still, 18 years later, two of Chapman's most beautiful songs. The sense of longing in Chapman's voice for his prayers, lyrics, and vows of commitment to God to be "more than words" is palpable. Here in a few places, and more completely on "Way Beyond the Blue," he lets his voice soar to a greater height than it had before. In fact, Chapman stretches himself vocally and writes more personally than on previous albums, to excellent effect.
   
   More to This Life somewhat reminds me both musically and thematically of Rich Mullins' Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988). Like Mullins on that album, Chapman is just beginning to hit his stride here. Also, again like Mullins, Chapman's tackling serious subjects. And like Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth, More to This Life is an album that can contribute well to Christians' spiritual growth, providing that its truths are applied by the listener.
   
   Because in the end, what you have with More to This Life is an album that looks seriously at what it means to have a meaningful life. It's an album that points to both the joys and the sacrifices of the Christian life. Chapman would surpass himself quickly with his very next album, but More to This Life, though somewhat dated (particularly musically) now, still has considerable power and is quite enjoyable from a pop perspective. Four-and-a-quarter stars.



3. The songs "More To This Life" and "I Will Be Here" are the most inspirational songs of this album.



4. Released in '89 under the Sparrow Records label, 'More To This Life' was the third album/CD by Christian songwriter/singer Steven Curtis Chapman. Containing -11 tracks- of not only enjoyable, uplifting music and lyrics, but also conveying a level of depth and introspection that set this collection of songs above most of the other contemporary Christian music being released at the time.
   
   'More To This Life' was not formula-matic and predictable and it fully displayed Steven's ability to touch on so many different concerns in life and present the gospel message in an intelligent, unoffensive manner. I think the biggest praise I could give this CD is that you don't have to be a Christian to enjoy it. After all, isn't that the true intent of Christian music? You can't convert anyone if you can't get them to listen.



5. This CD is perfect. I wouldn't change a single thing. I thought this the first time I heard it in 1989, and I still feel that way! There are only 2 other CD's I find perfect: Amy Grant's "Lead Me On" and Allan Hall's (from Selah) "House of a Thousand Dreams". If you like Steven Curtis Chapman but are bored with his new stuff, or just want an inspiring, wonderful CD, I would get "More to This Life" right now! My all time favorite song on the planet is "Way Beyond the Blue". As a teenager, I made a cassette (didn't have a CD player then!) of this song, filling up an entire side, so I could listen to it at night over and over without having to rewind after each play, until I fell asleep to the words "His love is wider than the sky above you/And He has plans for you that go way beyond the blue". Words can't describe the impact this song and entire CD had and still has on my Christian walk, and actually making me believe in a very real way that God knows who I am and cares for ME (and you) with a love that is beyond human comprehension. I would recommend this CD to anyone of any age. I liked it at 16, 25 and now at 31!

No comments about Time.