Customer Reviews

All the Good Times

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

 

 

...that the more theatrical, prententious brand of folk canary (ie-Judy Collins) became megastars while a musician like Stuart has remained a cult favorite at best for so long ? Ooops. Just answered my own question. There's a huge range of work on this CD. Old novelty tunes ("Seven Beers..."), blues ("Follow Me, Honey...") and traditional folk ("Seven Daffodils") that would be a mishmash in the hands of a lesser artist. All are unified beautifully by Stuart's no-nonsense delivery on voice and guitar (also banjo, on one track). She even penned a sarcastic little ode to the 1960s coffee house scene in "Beatnik." These tracks both epitomize and transcend that particular era, much like Terry Callier does on his older releases like *First Light*. For a fun and inspiring exercise, compare her version of "Follow Me, Honey" here with the older, even more masterful Alice Stuart on the *Can't Find No Heaven* CD.

Oh, Man - I like Alice Stuart. I like her phrasing, and the way she plays guitar. When I heard "All the Good Times," I was very pleasantly surprised! One can hear the differences in Alice's technique, and the changes in her voice that the years have wrought, but wow - this album holds up really well considering it's age. The recording values are first rate, the quality of Alice's musicianship and her vocals are too.

I give this one a 4 out of 5 - but only because I had to leave a 5 for "Can't Find No Heaven." Get this one! ESPECIALLY if you're a Stuart fan.

It somtimes seems as though the best musicians die young. Alice Stuart didn't really die but mysteriously dropped off the edge of the musical world and disappeared soon after recording this album. Perhaps it is the rarity and if her career had continued through her youthful years with a larger body of work this album would not seem such a treasure, but as it is, her absence over those years seems a tragic loss of beauty. Folk music delivered in a clean beautiful voice of sparkling freshness and clarity. She has reappeared on the music scene, unpretentious folk with an strong flavor of humor, don't miss her if you get a chance to see/hear her perform.