|
I bought this recently for my father who likes to listen to slow, classical music while he reads and who also enjoys bluegrass/oldtime music. This is a perfect fusion of those two ideas. The music is calm and slow, but has a very Southern feel to it. Not only does he love the album, but I do, too.
It is clean and unpretentious and a pleasure to listen to.Song of the Hills: Instrumental Impressions of America's Heartland is music that I am proud of. I have become very selective in the music I listen to. I will admit that I do have a wide range of music that I like and will listen to when I am in certain moods, but THIS is the kind of music that I will always come home to. I realize there might be others who believe this music antiquated and boring. to that sentiment I would say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Another reviewer said it best when he wrote: "a genuine "Who's Who" of acoustic musicians -- have rendered these interpretations with great skill and love."If traditional music resonates in your soul then Song of the Hills will be a worthwhile addition to your music collection.Songs include:Tom Bigbee Waltz - Jay Ungar/Molly Mason/John SebastianThe Water Is Wide - John Doan/Brian KeaneMidnight On The Water - Jay Ungar/Molly MasonSeneca Square Dance - Jay Ungar/Molly Mason/Peter Blue/Brian KeaneFootprints In The Snow - Bill Keith/Tony Trischka/Eric Weissberg/Ken Kosek/Stacy Phillips/Molly MasonSweet Sunny South - Stacy Phillips/John SholleShenandoah - Brian Keane The Greenwood Tree - Norman Blake/Nancy Blake Shady Grove - Alan Feldman/Ken Kosek/Lorraine Lee/Dan BarrettCharles Giteaux - Norman Blake/Nancy BlakeMan Of Constant Sorrow - Eric Weissberg/Brian Keane Darling Cora - Eric Weissberg When First Unto This Country - John Sebastian/Jay Ungar/John Whelan/Molly MasonWagoner's Lad - John Sebastian/Brian Keane
This is some of the most beautiful music you will ever hear. I've listened to these melodies intently in a focused way. Either way, it works. The total effect is so lovely and authentic that the listener feels transported to a gentler time and place. My particular favorites are "The River is Wide", "Shenandoah", "Man of Constant Sorrow", and "Wagoner's Lad", which showcases John Sebastian's haunting harmonica. The songs are perfectly sequenced so that the music seems to flow like an unrippled river. Top notch musicians Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, Nancy Blake, Eric Weissberg, and John Sebastian play beautiful, spare, acoustic melodies that evoke America's rural and Appalachian past. I've also just let them play in the background while doing other things.
The mood is soothing and meditative. I've noticed that my two cats come into the room, curl up, and seem to listen when this CD is playing. There's not a wrong note on this album. I give this CD two thumbs up, and my cats (Rum Tum and Geordie) give it four paws up.
This album is really fine. The fiddle playing is excellent and the content of music is distinctly American. To all those folk music lovers this is really a great album.
Recommended by a friend, this album has quickly become a treasure in my collection. It is a brilliant soundtrack for road trips when the early morning sun is rising above the dashboard and you're seeking wonderful music to carry you through the acoustic pastures and sensitive landscapes of your life. Rich in dynamics and sonic diversity, all 14 songs on this album are masterful in musicianship and artistic effect on the listener. Obviously, I believe you'd do right to invest in this album, put it on auto-repeat and let it carry you through your days for the next few months till you wear the recording out.
|
