Customer Reviews

Acoustic

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In '94, a couple of years after their string of hits ended, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released Acoustic, their first "unplugged" record since their second Circle album. The remastered version of Acoustic was recently released by Capitol Records--a good move. This is one of NGDB's strongest records.

Acoustic was recorded in Denver, which I think enabled the guys in the Dirt Band to make the kind of record they wanted to. Also, as on NGDB's recent Welcome To Woody Creek album, practically all the singing and playing was done by the band members--and all the guys sing. Not only does Bob Carpenter sing lead on the closing number, "Bless The Broken Road", but Acoustic features a rare vocal appearance by Jimmie Fadden, who sings on "Cupid's Got A Gun", which he co-wrote. Finally, the guys wrote practically every song on this record, in contrast to their Nashville music, where they wrote only a few songs on each album. The only song on here that wasn't written by an NGDB member is the rocking song "Hello I Am Your Heart", penned by veteran Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.

Acoustic features the aforementioned song "Bless The Broken Road", a song which was a recent hit for country super-group Rascal Flatts. NGDB's version of the song about a rekindled romance, with Carpenter singing, is the strongest song on the album. "How Long", "Tryin' Times", "Love Will Find A Way", and "One Sure Honest Line" are also well-done romantic songs. "Let It Roll" has the guy at peace after walking out of a troubled relationship. Jimmy Ibbotson, who contributed four of the album's songs, especially shines on the bouncy song "Sarah In The Summer" and the bluesy, reflective song "This Train Keeps Rolling Along". The band reworked their 1980 country-boogie song "Badlands" for Acoustic, and the newer version has the same haunting quality as the original.

Acoustic, despite getting positive reviews, didn't do too well the first time around. Now that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has re-released this classic record--on the heels of another great album, Welcome To Woody Creek--maybe people will start paying attention. This is an album that deserves to be listened to.

How could I have been the first person to review this album? Unbelievable... but then that's the state of music these days.

I own about 12 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band albums and this is easily one of my favorite ones. It has a "comfortable pair of shoes" quality to it, and for some reason I keep coming back for another listen. It's all acoustic instruments on this one, so it has an old timey, hoedown sort of feel. The lack of amplification seems to allow the music to soak in. It has that intimate feel that good country music has to it.

I've seen these guys four times "live" and this disc is almost as good. Well, not quite, but pretty dang good anyway. That feeling of "we just love to play" is all over each song chosen here.

If you're looking to round out your Dirt Band collection or if you're a first time sampler of these boys, it would be tough to improve on a purchase of this disc.

P.S. When the remastered version came out, I snapped it up like a duck on Junebug. Fabulous tone and sound quality from some First Rate pickin' and singin'.

I'll go further than the other reviews; if you want their best in fact better than much of what you'll hear from any artist, this is the one. Not country, not folk, not rock but amalgamation of all that.

Just get it, you won't regret it.

In my opinion, this is by far the best music Nitty Gritty has released. It just baffles me that the producers don't have this on the market anymore. If you like the Dirt Band and come across a used copy, BUY IT. As the other reviewer wrote, Sarah in the Summer will appeal to all who know and love the Glenwood Springs/Aspen area. Man, if you like acoustic guitar and mandolin, you'll wear this cd out.

I got this CD as a gift and I fell in love with it! Sarah in the Summer is such a great song. I love how it mentions the towns and sights along I-70 and the Roaring Fork Valley--right to the Woody Creek Tavern!

Just a short review here because others have said it so well already: this is fine album, wonderful songs that get better with each listening. This collection has an "honest" and mature quality, a set of great songs with great integrity in the writing and performance, not slick, but very satisfying "country-rock" or whatever you want to call it. I've had this CD for years and find it charming. I recommend it for anyone who likes this genre.

I think the Dirt Band is at its best when it gets back to basics. For that reason alone, this product should satisfy fans of the group.

Some bands come and go in a flash, like the Eagles. Others just keep on doing what they do best, consistently, year after year. They outlive the bigger names simply because they stick to what they know. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fall firmnly into this category : despite a brief dalliance with the shortened Dirt Band, which actually didn't detract from their music, they've become synonymous with all that's best in country rock.
This is a great way to hear their music - pared down, unplugged, just the lads with their guitars and occasional harmonica, giving it all a gentler, relaxed feel. I imagine this was how the music was originally made. It may not be new, but it's a welcome addition to a growing collection of NGDB albums. Francis Klonowski, Leeds, England

It's a pity that the direction of country music has moved away from recordings with depth and integrity and has produced inane, throw-away tunes like "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."

Buy this album. You'll hear real musicians play real music.

Oh, and the NGDB's original version of "The Broken Road" beats anything Rascal Flatt's will ever record.

This album still sounds fresh ten years after it's original release. This is one of my favorite Dirt Band albums and I am glad to see it re-released. Songs not to be missed: "Sara in the Summer", "Cupid's Got A Gun","One Sure Honest Line" and of course the re-mastered original recording of the award winning song "Bless the Broken Road". This album is some of their best work from the '90s.