It’s the time of year for saving money!
Riders in The Sky – Silver Jubilee
Acoustic Disc
Pulling off a successful musical parody is tough. Keeping the
parody going for over twenty-five years is nearly impossible, but Riders In The
Sky have done just that. Their longevity stems from their love of what they
parody – Western country music as epitomized by Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The
Sons Of The Pioneers, Tex Ritter, and a host of other almost forgotten cowboy
B-movie heros. When Riders in the Sky sing “I want to drink my java from an old
tin can, while the moon is riding high…” you believe them.
If you’ve never heard the Riders in the Sky, you’re in for a
delightful surprise. Silver Jubilee
serves as the ultimate “greatest hits” anthology of their extensive back
catalog. Along with cowboy classics such as “Cool Water,” “Ghost Riders in the
Sky,” La Malaguena,” “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” “Ringo,” “Blue Mountain Skies,” “Rawhide,”
and “Texas Plains,” you’ll hear some of their best comedy routines such as
“Sidekick Heaven,” “Phantom of the Chuckwagon,” and “Salting of the Slug.”
Every time I listen to the Riders I’m struck by not only their
good humor, but also by their musical precision. Their spot-on three and
four-part vocal harmonies combined with authentic yet innovative arrangements
topped off by seriously hot instrumental solos completely floor me. These guys
are just too good. As if their music wasn’t enough, the Riders of the Sky have
developed a unique stage presence. Each member, Joey the Cowpolka King, Ranger
Doug, Woody Paul, and Too Slim, have unique personalities. It’s not just fancy cowboy drag, but their
complete embrace of the archetypes and clichés that completes their
multidimensional theatrical presentation.
I don’t care how cool, how outré, how bleeding edge your
musical tastes may be, if you don’t like Riders in the Sky you’re a square. Not
“getting” the Rider’s music means you don’t understand what makes America’s
musical heritage special. Yes, you need this CD if only for those days when
that little black cloud over your head threatens to expand to fill your
horizons. Even a single dose of this two disk CD will shoo away your blues like
a tumbleweed on a windy day.
Nashville Mandolin Ensemble – Bach>>Beatles>>Bluegrass
SoundArt Recordings
Back at the turn of the century mandolin orchestras were an
important part of the American musical landscape. Orville Gibson’s fledgling
musical instrument company specialized in making all the necessary constituents
of a complete orchestra – mandolins, mandolas, mando-cellos, guitars, and
mando-basses. In the twenties the dual forces of the Hawaiian craze and
banjo-driven minstrel music drove mandolin orchestras from the musical
forefront (and almost forced Gibson out of business as well.) Only fairly
recently have groups based on the mandolin family reemerged. The Nashville
Mandolin Ensemble demonstrates the capabilities of such a musical amalgamation. Their musical breadth and scope covers
everything from Bach to Dickie Betts.
Organized, led, and produced by mandolin whiz Bruce Baldasarri,
the Nashville Mandolin ensemble includes Stephen Dudash on mandolin and
five-string viola, John Hedgecoth on mandocello, Van Manakas on guitar, David
Spicher on bass, and Walter Carter on mandola. Guitar collectors may recognize
that last name. Yes he is THE Walter Carter whose day job is resident historian
for the Gibson guitar company. Notice how all the cool guys play mandolins and
mandolas.
Although the CD leads off with a suitably reverent version of
Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” the ensemble shows they can get a bit
rowdy on Lennon/McCarthy’s “Eleanor Rigby,” spacey on Charlie Provenza’s “As
Far As I Can See,” and seriously out there on Roger Hudson’s “Rite of Strings.”
My favorite cut, written by mandolin king David Grisman, “Happy Birthday Bill
Monroe” features some wonderful dual leads on fiddle and mandolin as well as
fine guitar and mandola solos.
The sound on Bach>>Beatles>>Bluegrass
deserves special attention. Recorded live using an Apogee 24 bit A/D and
Brauner stereo mic as the primary microphone, the sound has a fantastic sense
of aliveness. Unlike some recordings such as the otherwise superb Mike
Marshall/Chris Thile Collaboration Into
The Cauldron, where the artificial ambience gets in the way of the music,
here the natural ambience wraps around you like a warm sweater, making
everything feel comfortably right.
Before, during and after the winter holiday season people are
looking for recordings as gifts and soundtracks for their lives. Bach>>Beatles>>Bluegrass
would make a wonderful addition to anyone’s Christmas stocking, as it’s
guaranteed to increase their quota of holiday cheer.
Vanguard Records
When I heard Mindy Smith singing “Jolene” on the Dolly Parton
tribute album Just Because I’m a Woman
my first thought was WHO IS THAT? Smith has a special quality to her voice and
phrasing that stops you dead in your tracks. Her new album, her first album
actually, proves that the cut on the Dolly Parton anthology was no fluke.
Mindy Smith wrote all eleven songs on One Moment More. There’s not
a single dud among them. The songs themselves fall into that gray area between
country, folk, and contemporary pop. They feel like the kind of material Faith
Hill wanted to do on her latest release Cry.
In addition to fine songwriting, the arrangements and orchestration on One Moment More are first-rate. Accompanied by musicians such as Bryan Sutton
on acoustic guitar, Glenn Worf on bass, Kenny Vaughn and Will Kimbrough on
electric guitar, Matt Rollings on Hammond B-3 organ, Dug Dugmore on steel and
lapsteel guitar, Lex Price on mandolin, and co-producer Steve Buckingham on
dulcimer, B-3, and electric guitar, Smith delivers a platinum-worthy first
effort. The sound production on One
Moment More is state of the art – smooth, sweet, detailed, real ear candy.
Savvy reviewers should avoid predictions, but Mindy Smith can
provoke otherwise cagey pundits into perching on precarious protuberances. She
has all the necessary attributes to be a huge star. I think she could be as big
as big gets – One Moment More is the
alt-country equivalent of Cheryl Crow’s first album Tuesday Night Music Club or Shawn Colvin’s Steady On – a grand slam home run first effort. Like her other new
fans, I’m eagerly looking forward to more.
