Customer Reviews

Bluegrass Essentials 2

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Most bluegrass "various artists" CDs lack real punch, what I call "easy listening bluegrass". This collection will knock you out cold. It samples old and new, with a rarely found balance of male and female artists. And every song is golden. If you're just starting out with bluegrass, as more and more people are, then this is the perfect introduction. If you're a long time fan, then I think you'll be surprised.

Chesapeake's "Blackjack Davey" will blow you away, and show you exactly how far and well bluegrass can stretch. "Ruby (are you mad at your man)" by The Osborne Brothers shows just how fast and powerful it can be. And The Charles River Vally Boys' version of the Beatles' "I've just seen a face" will show that the Beatles really should have been a bluegrass band! (OK that's pushing it.)

Anyway, buy it. You'll love it.

Compilations are risky business. I've been listening to Bluegrass for 25 years, and now usually avoid the "best of" stuff. But this is a clean diamond gem. I came back to order 2 more copies to send to family members (on whom I've been "prosetylizing" all these years). Want to hear what Bluegrass is all about? Here's a fine start. Something Old (Bill Monroe, of course). Something new (Check out Gillian Welch's gospel tune - if it don't make your knees weak, something is seriously the matter with you). Something borrowed (how about a Bluegrass version of the Beatles' "I Just Saw A Face"). And something blue (enough to put me in my favorite Bluegrass state of mind: A smile on my face, tears runnin down my cheeks, and the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight up. Jump on it!