Volume Five Drifter (CD) (UK IMPORT)

Description: Further DetailsTitle: DrifterCondition: NewGenre: CountryFormat: CDDescription: EDITORIAL REVIEWS CD REVIEW Over the past few years Volume Five has been quietly releasing some of the most consistently entertaining contemporary bluegrass you can find. I say quietly because they are rarely mentioned as among the top tier acts in our business, and they certainly deserve to be in that discussion. The secret to their success has been the appealing voice of fiddler and founder Glenn Harrell, and their inerrant ability to choose tuneful songs that suit their sound. They easily blend a contemporary feel with traditional material, but it s the quality and perceptiveness of the songs they record that sets them apart. Drifter, their sixth album since 2008, from Mountain Fever Records is set for release tomorrow (June 24), and it may be their best to this point. All the elements that make this such a likable band are in evidence from the opening track, the first single, I Am A Drifter. Written by Donna Ulisse and Marc Rossi, it has an easily singable melody and lyrics that relate a compelling story about someone that can t stay put. It has been doing very well on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart this past few weeks. But like all the songs here it works on a Shakespearean or Bullwinklean level as well. The Bard has been praised for centuries for his ability to give the uneducated masses a tale of intrigue to capture their imagination, while also including elements of philosophy and human interaction to involve the minds of the intelligentsia. Just so with the classic Bullwinkle cartoons, which distracted children with silly characters, while entertaining their parents with witty asides that flew right over the children s heads. Volume Five can please a fan who just wants to hear a bluegrass beat with a pleasant melody, but the rhythmic interplay between the instruments can enthrall a more sophisticated listener after multiple hearings. It s a special skill, and may ultimately be the one thing that eventually allows this talented quintet to rise to the top, a la Blue Highway. This rings true for all the tracks on Drifter, from ballads like Because Of You (Ronnie Bowman/Jon Nite) and Scarecrow (Kevin Denney/Tom Botkin) to grassy burners 95 Years (Carter Moore), and Alaskan Gold (Colby Laney),.Harrell s voice sells the songs and the band supports him with appropriate accompaniment. And they are each intelligent songs, even when following traditional themes we have come to expect from cabin songs. There are several standouts that bear special mention. Ranching Man from Jesse Daniel is a textbook demonstration of an effective pop song. It s the story of a young man who s fallen in love with the girl of his dreams, but her father is trying to manipulate their relationship with his wealth. But instead of simply telling the story journalistically, Daniel reveals it in pieces over two verses and a chorus, so that by the end you completely understand the young man s dilemma. A sure sign of a great song is when you are sorry to hear it end. I d love to hear the end to this story. Tall Pines has always struck me as one of the great Bill Monroe songs from his later years, but one that is rarely heard these days. The Damon Black number holds up quite well, and Glenn and the boys give it a hearty contemporary grass treatment. Jerry Cole s With My Gun is another with what is becoming the trademark Volume Five sound; funky, bluesy, and with a narrative that breaks from the typical bluegrass subject matter. Again, it works on many levels. The album s lone instrumental, Lucky Seven, was contributed by guitarist Colby Laney. It s a fast moving romp with a fiddle tune form. Everyone gets a taste, Harrell on fiddle, Harry Clark on mandolin, and Patton Wages on banjo. Chris Williamson handles the bass and Jeff Partin plays reso-guitar and bass on a few tracks. --Bluegrass Today Beautiful slow-tempo songs distinguish Volume Five s latest The Drifter. Those eight titles, featuring effective use of Glen Harrell s always excellent vocals, make it an album well worth hearing. They craft a wonderful arrangement for the gospel When I Go Away with a lovely semi-call and response portion. The backup instrumentally and vocally are precise and fitting. Five years ago, I called for Volume Five to develop a distinctive sound using their clear talent. They have done that, as you can hear on this album. Only Harrell, once the fiddler for Marty Raybon & Full Circle, remains from the band that recorded Down In A Cell, although banjoman Patton Wages had joined by the time it was released. In addition by subtraction. Harrell is now the lead singer, and one of the finest to emerge recently. Soulful and expressive, well-suited for slower tempos, he makes Volume Five an important bluegrass band. Check out Lonely Wind or When I Go Away for two examples of wonderful delivery of very good songs. The band supports the singer and strong material that plays to their strengths. The Drifter offers just four up-tempo songs. Two the instrumental Lucky Seven by guitarist Colby Laney and the closing I-done-wrong-and-I m-on-the-run song With My Gun work very well. Unlike the other ten cuts, Volume Five ruins the opening song, Donna Ulisse s I Am A Drifter and 95 Years with too-busy playing. You don t know whether to listen to the singing or the picking and end up hearing neither, just a jumble of sound. Still, five-sixths of a brilliant album is a lot better than most folks do. --Bluegrass UnlimitedArtist: Volume FiveNo Of Discs: 1Country/Region of Manufacture: USARecord Label: CD BabyEAN: 0799666642715Type: Bluegrass Missing Information?Please contact us if any details are missing and where possible we will add the information to our listing.

Price: 26.85 USD

Location: GU14 0GT

End Time: 2024-11-15T11:34:52.000Z

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