Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell: Old Yellow Moon

Nonesuch 534285-2

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Country Rock
[Tracklist]
01 Hanging Up My Heart (2:52)
02 Invitation To The Blues (3:38)
03 Spanish Dancer (3:44)
04 Open Season On My Heart (3:41)
05 Chase The Feeling (3:32)
06 Black Caffeine (3:23)
07 Dreaming My Dreams (3:18)
08 Bluebird Wine (2:56)
09 Back When We Were Beautiful (3:40)
10 Here We Are (3:16)
11 Bull Rider (3:05)
12 Old Yellow Moon (3:36)
[Credits]
Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell (vocals)
Producer: Brian Ahern
[Notes]
This was a long time coming; given its relaxed execution, one wonders what took so long. Old Yellow Moon is an album of duets between Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. He was a rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist in her Hot Band in the mid-'70s. After he left, he continued contributing songs to her recordings for nearly two decades. This marks a reunion of more than just Harris and Crowell. Brian Ahern, who produced her early Warner recordings helms these sessions with Hot Band members James Burton, John Ware, and Bill Payne making appearances, as well as heavy hitters Vince Gill, Stuart Duncan, and Steuart Smith, to name a few. Though recorded in Nashville, the sound of this recording is posited somewhere between the Southern California country sound of the early '70s and some of Music City's more adventurous sounds in the middle and late years of that decade. The song choices are as eclectic as one would expect. Some of the set's highlights include a smokin' redo of "Bluebird Wine," which appeared as the opening cut on Harris' classic Pieces of the Sky album. This version has some fine-tuned lyrics in the first two verses -- Crowell was only 21 when he wrote it. The readings of Roger Miller's "Invitation to the Blues" and Allen Reynolds' "Dreaming My Dreams" are beautifully executed standards. There are three excellent cuts here by Hank DeVito, another original member of the Hot Band. They include the midtempo, hard country opener "Hanging Up My Heart," the bluesy "Black Caffeine," and the title cut, a lilting waltz that closes the record. Crowell also contributed "Open Season on My Heart" (originally recorded by Tim McGraw), the languid pedal steel honky tonk ballad "Here We Are," and the back porch "Bull Rider." Kris Kristofferson's "Chase the Feeling" is given a rumbling, punchy, country-rock treatment here. Harris largely goes it alone on Patti Scialfa's "Spanish Dancer," in a radically different reading than the songwriter's, but Gill's gut string guitar, Jim Hoke's spare accordion, and Crowell's hushed harmony on the chorus offer a more picaresque take. The only misstep here should have been a natural: Matraca Berg's wonderful "Back When We Were Beautiful," recorded by the songwriter in 1997, feels forced; it lacks the stark drama of the original, replacing it instead it with a nostalgia that isn't true to the song. While this doesn't carry the weight of an "historic" recording, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Harris is in better voice than she's been in years and Crowell is a natural as a duet partner. Let's hope they consider Old Yellow Moon more than just a one-off, "bucket list" album. (AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek)

Paul Clayton: British Broadside Ballads in Popular Tradition

Folkways Records FW-8708

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 When Cockle Shells Make Silver Bells (3:12)
A02 Pleasant And Delightful (3:03)
A03 Three Maidens To Milking Did Go (1:44)
A04 The Bonny Bunch Of Roses (3:23)
A05 The Bold Thrasher (1:44)
A06 My Grandmother (1:41)
A07 The Lost Lady Found (3:05)
A08 When Pat Came Over The Hill (2:55)
A09 The Dark-Eyed Sailor (3:15)
B01 Jim, The Carter's Lad (3:15)
B02 Geordie (1:24)
B03 The Oyster Girl (2:37)
B04 The Bold Fisherman (2:02)
B05 Brian O'Lynn (2:46)
B06 The Sweet Primroses (2:41)
B07 Green Broom (3:07)
B08 Herchard Of Taunton Dene (1:48)
B09 The False-Hearted Knight (3:42)
B10 The Indian Lass (1:53)
[Credits]
Paul Clayton (guitar/vocals)
Designner: Ronald Clyne, Recorder: Kenneth S. Goldstein
[Notes]
American singer and folklorist Paul Clayton (1931–1967) became interested in ballads by hearing his grandparents and other relatives sing them. In college he went on folk song collecting expeditions, traveling throughout the United States as well as Great Britain and Western Europe, where he learned songs from field recordings and directly from singers. His additional research into BBC recordings and the collection of British broadsides at the Newberry Library in Chicago resulted in this album. Sung with guitar accompaniment, the recording contains 19 ballads which Clayton believed were representative of the vast amount of broadside material still found in oral tradition in 1957. Liner notes include broadside lyrics alongside the traditional texts, to show the changes that have occured.

American Colonial Instrumental Music

Folkways Records FH-5109

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Classical
[Tracklist]
A1 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 1 in D: The Moravian Quintet (4:16)
A2 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 1 in D (cont.): The Moravian Quintet (3:38)
A3 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 1 in D (cont.): The Moravian Quintet (3:38)
A4 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 6 in Eb: The Moravian Quintet (4:35)
A5 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 6 in Eb (cont): The Moravian Quintet (2:45)
A6 Peter, Johann Frederich: Quintet No. 6 in Eb (cont): The Moravian Quintet (2:50)
B1 Moller, John Christopher: Quartet in Eb: The New Music Quartet (3:19)
B2 Moller, John Christopher: Quartet in Eb (cont): The New Music Quartet (2:41)
B3 Moller, John Christopher: Quartet in Eb (cont): The New Music Quartet (5:15)
B4 Gehot, Joseph: Quartet in D, Op. 7, No. 6: The New Music Quartet (3:24)
B5 Gehot, Joseph: Quartet in D, Op. 7, No. 6 (cont): The New Music Quartet (4:34)
B6 Gehot, Joseph: Quartet in D, Op. 7, No. 6 (cont): The New Music Quartet (3:35)
[Credits]
Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
Peter, Moller, and Gehot may not be household names, but American Colonial Instrumental Music shows their importance in early American classical music. All three composers were born in Europe but spent much of their careers working in America as church music directors and organists. This recording features four complete works, some of the earliest American chamber music, elegantly performed by The Moravian Quartet and The New Music Quartet.

Classic Folk Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40110

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Pastures Of Plenty: Woody Guthrie (2:25)
02 We Shall Overcome: Pete Seeger (4:39)
03 Rock Island Line: Lead Belly (2:02)
04 No More Auction Block: Paul Robeson (2:09)
05 Deportees (Plane Wreck At Los Gatos): Barbara Dane (5:44)
06 John Henry: Doc Watson (3:41)
07 John Hardy: Mike Seeger (2:40)
08 Betty And Dupree: Brownie McGhee (3:58)
09 Gallis Pole: Fred Gerlach (3:43)
10 Polly Von: Paul Clayton (3:09)
11 Butcher Boy: Peggy Seeger (2:17)
12 Duncan And Brady: Dave Van Ronk (3:00)
13 Railroad Bill: Hobart Smith (2:35)
14 Wayfaring Stranger: Burl Ives (1:12)
15 Big Rock Candy Mountain: Haywire Mac (2:06)
16 Born 100,000 Years Ago: Cisco Houston (1:07)
17 Sugar Babe, It’s All Over: Mark Spoelstra (1:58)
18 Changes: Phil Ochs (4:16)
19 Black And White: Earl Robinson (2:56)
20 Most Fair Beauty Bright: Jean Ritchie (2:17)
21 Cielito Lindo: Pete Seeger (2:31)
22 Tom Dooley: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:52)
23 Freight Train: Elizabeth Cotten (2:43)
24 Down On Me: Mary Pickney And Janie Hunter (3:02)
25 This Train (Bound For Glory): Big Bill Broonzy (2:58)
[Credits]
Compiled and Liner Notes: Jeff Place, Designer: Communication Visual, Photographers: Diana Davies, Galen Lawson and David Gahr, Engneer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
We often take for granted the supremacy of artists such as Doc Watson, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, and other folk music legends. Classic Folk sheds new light on the success of the urban intellectual-driven movement that made rural white and African-American artists and their music favorites of audiences everywhere. This recording features classic performances by classic artists doing some of their classic songs during the great folksong revival of the 1940s through 1960s. It features some of the great performances from the vaults of Folkways Records. (Compiled and annotated by Jeff Place)

Lilly Brothers: Bluegrass Breakdown

Prestige Folklore FL-14010

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Bluegrass Breakdown (3:00)
A2 I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home (3:20)
A3 Why Did You Wonder? (3:10)
A4 Miller's Cave (2:46)
A5 Wildwood Flower (3:40)
A6 Katy Hill (1:57)
A7 Have A Feast Here Tonight (2:18)
B1 Rollin' On (2:19)
B2 Beneath The Old Southern Sky (2:50)
B3 Storms On The Ocean (2:26)
B4 Foggy Mountain Breakdown (3:06)
B5 That Star Belongs To Me (3:24)
B6 Billy In The Low Ground (3:22)
B7 We Shall Meet Some Day (2:46)
[Credits]
Bea Lilly (guitar/vocals) Everett Lilly (mandolin/vocals) Don Stover (banjo) Herb Hoover (fiddle) Fritz Richmond (bass)
[Notes]
This classic bluegrass "brother" duet is particularly known for popularizing bluegrass music in the New England area, as the group held forth regularly at Boston's Hillbilly Ranch, among other sympathetic venues. It was the '60s, the height of the folk boom, and the Lilly Brothers were soon tapped to do some recording for the ever-expanding Prestige label. That the New England-based Rounder Records would jump on reissuing this material is only appropriate; that the parent company would get around to also re-releasing it a few decades later just adds to the multiple confusion that is known collectively as the Lilly Brothers' discography. Listeners slanted toward a more rural perspective may immediately imagine that this bluegrass is a bit more polished around the edges than many Southern groups, and they would be right. The vocal delivery of brothers Everett and Bea also sounds downright cosmopolitan in comparison with some bluegrass outfits. Some of the slickness comes from the way the original recordings were made. Prestige had a certain sort of sound established for its jazz artists and tended to try to create a similar ambience when establishing its Folklore series. The instruments are thus cleanly and deeply recorded. There is a lot of good picking, especially from banjo maestro Don Stover, who worked regularly with the Lilly boys. These sessions consisted of quintet, trio, and duo tracks, and the latter reveal just how strongly the brothers feel the rhythm of this music together. The instrumental tracks allow Stover, Everett Lilly on mandolin, and fiddler Herb Hooven to stretch out impressively. Another interesting aspect of these sessions are the more modern tunes from the pure country camp, but pushed back into a bluegrass and old-time style. Very effective. (AllMusic Review by Eugene Chadbourne)

Cisco Houston: Cisco Sings

Folkways Records FA-2346

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Pat Works On The Railway (2:16)
A2 Blowing Down That Old Dusty Road (3:05)
A3 Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill (2:34)
A4 The Killers (4:42)
A5 Rambling, Gambling Man (3:34)
A6 The Zebra Dun (2:52)
A7 Old Reilly (4:05)
B1 Old Howard (3:31)
B2 Make Me A Bed Right Down On Your Floor (1:55)
B3 John Hardy (2:38)
B4 The Boll Weevil (3:07)
B5 The Midnight Special (2:47)
B6 St.James Infirmary (3:06)
B7 Great July Jones (2:29)
[Credits]
Cisco Houston (guitar/vocals)
Cover Artwork: J. Simon
[Notes]
Cisco Houston's smooth, spirited voice croons songs from the railways, mines, and the open range on this collection of his favorite ballads. In the tradition of composing songs to tell stories, Houston also includes a tall tale he wrote, "Great July Jones."

The Lilly Bros & Don Stover: Bluegrass at the Roots 1961

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40158

Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 In My Dear Old Southern Home (2:13)
02 Midnight On The Stormy Sea (3:35)
03 Forgotten Soldier Boy (3:13)
04 Down On The Banks Of The Ohio (4:18)
05 Where Is My Sailor Boy? (3:07)
06 Sinner, You Better Get Ready (2:58)
07 What Would You Give In Exchange? (3:25)
08 Oh, Hide You In The Blood (3:01)
09 Little Annie (2:59)
10 'Neath That Cold Grey Tomb Of Stone (3:03)
11 Barbara Allen (7:08)
12 The Fox And Hounds (2:26)
13 John Hardy (3:28)
14 Old Joe Clark (1:53)
15 Salt River (1:31)
16 Cornbread And 'Lasses And Sassafras Tea (2:10)
17 The Waves On The Sea (2:43)
18 Saints Go Marching In (2:47)
[Credits]
Bea Lilly (guitar/vocals) Everett Lilly (mandolin/vocals) Don Stover (banjo/vocals) Herb Hooven (fiddle/bass) Mike Seeger (bass)
Producers: Mary Monseur, D. A. Sonneborn and Daniel Sheehy, Producer and Recorder: Mike Seeger, Liner Notes: Pete Kuykendall, Carla Borden and Dick Spottswood, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Photographer: John Cohen, Enginner: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Brothers Everett and "B" Lilly of West Virginia partnered with banjo great Don Stover to lay down this honest, first-class rendition of bluegrass roots. The Lillys' harmony vocals and Stover's classic banjo style made this a milestone recording when it was first released by Folkways in 1961. Remastered with 2 previously unreleased tracks from producer Mike Seeger's original recordings. 24-page booklet with photos. 56 minutes. Tracks 12 & 15 previously unreleased.

Don't Mourn-Organize! Songs of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill

Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 40026

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Joe Hill: Billy Bragg (8:25)
02 Joe Hill's Last Will: Utah Phillips (3:13)
03 Joe Hill's Ashes: Mark Levy (3:20)
04 The Preacher and the Slave: n/a (3:40)
05 Joe Hill: Paul Robeson (2:59)
06 Paper Heart: Si Kahn (2:37)
07 Casey Jones (The Union Scab): Pete Seeger (1:59)
08 Mr. Block: Mats Paulson (3:03)
09 Joe Hill Listens to the Praying: Joe Glazer and Lori Elaine Taylor (7:23)
10 The Tramp: Cisco Houston (3:17)
11 Joe Hill: Earl Robinson (2:38)
12 The White Slave: Carlos Cortez (3:30)
13 Narrative: Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1:08)
14 The Rebel Girl: Hazel Dickens (3:00)
15 There is Power in a Union: Entertainment Workers IU 630 with Utah Phillips (4:10)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Lori Elaine Taylor, Designer: Daphne Shuttleworth
[Notes]
Joe Hill's powerful songs moved Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, Si Kahn, and countless others to blend politics and song. This dramatic tribute to the Industrial Workers of the World songwriter and activist Joe Hill, features songs by and about Hill performed by Billy Bragg, Hazel Dickens, Earl Robinson, Paul Robeson, and others. Compiled by Lori Elaine Taylor. "A treasure for anyone interested in American folk or labor music." — Washington Post

Barbara Lamb: Fiddle Fatale

Sugar Hill Record SH-CD-3810

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Country Swing
[Tracklist]
01 Sally Goodin (3:36)
02 Panhandle Rag (4:29)
03 A Good Woman's Love (4:28)
04 Paddy On The Turnpike / Gone Again (3:41)
05 Montana Glide (4:17)
06 Herman's Hornpipe (3:20)
07 So What (4:02)
08 Foster's Reel (4:07)
09 Old French Reel (2:15)
10 I'll Never Be Free ( 3:45)
11 Katy Hill (2:56)
12 Princess Angeline Cafe (3:39)
13 Ducks On The Millpond (Ducks With Bongos) (3:59)
[Credits]
Barbara Lamb (fiddle/vocals) Tim O'Brien (bouzouki/mandolin/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Sam Bush (mandolin) Tony Trischka (banjo) David Keenan, Jo Miler and Scott Nygaard (guitar) Nova Devonie (accordion) Pete Wasner (piano) Nancy Katz, Ed Gately and Mark Winchester (bass) Joe Craven (percussion) Ben Holmes (drums)
Producer: Tim O'Brien, Engineers: Randy Best, Kevin Clock, Jay Follette, David Glasser and Michael Lord
[Notes]
This was fiddler Barbara Lamb's declaration of independence upon her departure from Ranch Romance, an (almost) all-woman retro country swing outfit that had recorded several very fine albums for the Sugar Hill label. Her former bandmates join her here on several tracks that could have easily been included on a Ranch Romance album, including a debonair rendition of the Texas swing classic "Panhandle Rag" and a charming Tex-Mex number titled "So What." Elsewhere on the program she returns to her bluegrass roots, accompanied by banjoist Tony Trischka, guitarist Scott Nygaard, and mandolinist Sam Bush, among others. The program opens with a burning performance of "Sally Goodin," and it also includes a great fiddle and banjo arrangement of "Katy Hill" and a cute fiddle-and-bongo arrangement of "Ducks on the Millpond." She also gets good and countrified in collaboration with Tim O'Brien on "A Good Woman's Love" and on a slow waltz entitled "Montana Glide." The variety works very well; this is an excellent album. (AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson)

Duffey･Waller･Adcock & Gray: Classic Country Gents Reunion

Sugar Hill Record SH-CD-3772

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Fare The Well (2:45)
02 Stewball (4:05)
03 I'll Be Here In The Morning (2:59)
04 Champagne Breakdown (2:22)
05 Here Today And Gone Tomorrow (3:26)
06 Gonna Get There Soon (2:29)
07 Hey Lala (2:58)
08 Casey's Last Ride (4:21)
09 Wild Side Of Life (2:23)
10 Wait A Little Longer (3:28)
11 Back Home In Indiana (2:32)
12 Thinking Of You (2:32)
13 Say Won't You Be Mine (2:42)
[Credits]
John Duffey (mandolin/vocals) Charlie Waller (guitar/vocals) Eddie Adcock (banjo/vocals) Tom Gray (bass/vocals) Mike Auldridge (dobro)
Producers: Penny Parsons and Eddie Adcock, Liner Notes: Penny Parsons, Designer: Raymond Simone, Photographer: Brant Gamma, Engineer: Mike Zook and Jim Loyd
[Notes]
Classic Country Gents Reunion is an album by the progressive bluegrass band Country Gentlemen, released in 1989. The first classic lineup from the 60' reunites here to record this album.

Woody Guthrie: Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child

Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 45035

Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Children's, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Nursery Rhymes, Educational, Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Grassy Grass Grass (Grow, Grow, Grow) (1:35)
02 Swimmy Swim (1:53)
03 Little Sugar (Little Saka Sugar) (1:22)
04 Rattle My Rattle (1:11
05 I Want My Milk (I Want It Now) (2:17)
06 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 (1:11)
07 One Day Old (1:33)
08 Wash-y Wash Wash (Warshy Little Tootsy) (1:34)
09 I'll Eat You, I'll Drink You (1:40)
10 Make A Blobble (2:05)
11 Who's My Pretty Baby (Hey Pretty Baby) (1:43)
12 I'll Write And I'll Draw (2:27)
13 Why, Oh Why (3:27)
14 Pick It Up (1:51)
15 Pretty And Shiny-O (1:28)
16 Needle Sing (2:15)
17 Bling-Blang (2:41)
18 Goodnight Little Arlo (Goodnight Little Darlin') (3:16)
[Credits]
Woody Guthrie (guitar/vocals)
Designner: Daphne Shuttleworth, Liner Notes: Anthony Seeger, Recorder: Moses Asch
[Notes]
Beautifully remastered vintage recordings with vocals, acoustic guitar, and rattles. Includes counting songs 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and One Day Old, playful songs Wash-y Wash and Pick It Up, and songs of adoration Little Sugar and Eat You Up. "Songs meant for you to sing with your children as parents have done for generations." —Long Island Parenting News

The Days of '49: Songs of the Gold Rush - Sung by Logan English

Folkways Records FH-5255

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Sacramento (1:45)
A2 A Ripping Trip (1:40)
A3 Sweet Betsy From Pike (4:05)
A4 Crossing The Plains (5:10)
A5 Prospecting Dream (3:05)
A6 Life In California (3:00)
A7 I Often Think Of Writing Home (2:00)
B1 The Days Of '49 (3:15)
B2 He's The Man For Me (2:35)
B3 Clementine (3:15)
B4 The Gambler (2:00)
B5 Joe Bowers (3:20)
B6 The California Stage Company (2:35)
B7 California Bloomer (1:45)
B8 Sacramento Gals (1:25)
[Credits]
Logan English (guitar/vocals) Billy Faier (banjo)
Recorder and Liner Notes: Kenneth S. Goldstein, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
Performed by Logan English and Billy Faier this collection represents a specific historical time period: The Gold Rush. Logan and Faier pay homage to John A. Stone (aka "Old Put") who was instrumental in collecting these songs dating back to before 1860. The songs tell of the excitement of the Gold Rush, as well as the gritty hardships faced by the miners: "Many of his songs may show some hard edges, and he is free to confess, that they may fail to please the more aristocratic portion of the community, who have but little sympathy with the details, hopes, trials or joys or the toiling miner’s life… "

Calling Me Home: Kathy Mattea

Sugar Hill Records SUG-CD-4085

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2012
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Bluegrass, Folk
[Tracklist]
01 A Far Cry (4:07)
02 Gone, Gonna Rise Again (3:20)
03 The Wood Thrush’s Song (3:47)
04 West Virginia Mine Disaster (4:29)
05 The Maple’s Lament (3:52)
06 Hello, My Name Is Coal (3:00)
07 Calling Me Home (2:30)
08 Black Waters (4:56)
09 West Virginia, My Home (4:26)
10 Agate Hill (3:47)
11 Now Is The Cool Of The Day (3:25)
12 Requiem For A Mountain (2:37)
[Credits]
Kathy Mattea (vocals) Stuart Duncan (banjo/zither/fiddle/mandolin) Byron House (bass) Randy Kohrs (dobro) Bryan Sutton (banjo/guitar/mandolin) Jon Randall Stewart, Bill Cooley and John Randall (guitar) Tim Lauer (accordion/percussion/organ) Jim Brock (percussion) Tim Eriksen, Sarah Dugas, Alison Krauss, Mollie O'Brien, Tim O'Brien, Patty Loveless, Emmylou Harris, Oliver Wood and Aoife O'Donovan (vocal harmony)
Producer and Recorder: Gary Paczosa, Liner Notes: Barbara Kingsolver, Photographer: David McClister, Designer: Carrie Smith, Engineers: Brandon Bell, Ellery Durgin, Garrett Sawyer, Don Cobb and Eric Conn
[Notes]
When Kathy Mattea made a hard roots turn on 2008's Coal, a heartfelt examination in classic mining songs of the hard, often dangerous life of coal miners, it sounded like she'd been singing them all her life. On Calling Me Home, Mattea delivers a second album of material that has its origins in coal country and/or her native rural West Virginia. With co-producer Gary Paczosa, she chose songs that drew their inspiration from coal-mining communities, and the juxtaposition of the natural environment and its devastation at the hands of an industry that is often the only one that provides a livelihood. These songs were penned by classic topical writers and modern performers. The band is top-flight: Stuart Duncan, Byron House, Bryan Sutton, Tim Lauer, Bill Cooley, and Jim Brock. Guest vocalists include Patty Loveless, Tim & Mollie O'Brien, Alison Krauss, and Emmylou Harris, to mention a few. Paczosa is well-known in acoustic music circles, from bluegrass and newgrass to modern folk, for his manner of capturing warm, pristine, immediate sound. The arrangements by Paczosa and Mattea never lose sight of the traditional -- even if the song is present-day -- while honoring the progressive talents of all the players involved. Atop it all, of course, is Mattea's voice: full, rich, soulful, evocative of both history and mystery. Her husky, smooth delivery and unique phrasing get these songs across with conviction. Its in the haunted backwoods gospel of Si Kahn's "Gone, Gonna Rise Again," a song rich in sociological and environmental metaphors. Catch her reading of Laurie Lewis' "The Wood Thrush's Song," with Aoife O'Donovan's harmony vocal, as Mattea digs deep inside the lyric while mandolins, guitars, accordion, and bass give her a podium. She doesn't need to soar above them; she merely has to assert the authority of the lyric to invite the listener in. This is equally true in the reportorial classic "West Virginia Mine Disaster" by Hazel Dickens. Contrast this with the desolate a cappella lament of Alice Gerrard's "Now Is the Cool of the Day," the nostalgia of Dickens' "West Virginia, My Home," or the depth of historical loss in Jean Ritchie's "Black Waters." The "blues" in bluegrass is resonant in Mattea's declamatory reading of Larry Cordle's dark-tinged, historically ambivalent "Hello, My Name Is Coal." Calling Me Home is not only a worthy follow-up to Coal, but it presents even the most historic of these songs as timeless and ever present. It's more confident, powerful, and beautiful. (AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek)