Customer Reviews

Clinch Mountain Country

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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When the "O Brother" phenomenon struck, I had already been a fan of bluegrass music since the late Sixties. I bought vinyl copies of albums by Bill Monore, Flatt & Scruggs and, of course, The Stanley Brothers. However, it hasn't been until the last couple years that I sought out Ralph Stanley's post-seventies work. And with his inclusion on the "O Brother" soundtrack, there are many titles to choose from. This two-disc set is a no-brainer. It contains 36 tracks and nearly two hours of solid singing and picking.

Guest vocalists run the gamut of bluegrass artists (Tim O'Brien, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss), country artists who got their start in bluegrass (Marty Stuart, Vince Gill), old-school country (George Jones, Porter Wagoner), alt-country (Gillian Welch) and artists like Bob Dylan, who defy categorization.

From beginning to end, this is a glorious album. Each song is recorded with such passion that you don't want it to end. I'm encouraged that bluegrass has been enjoying a rebirth in popularity in recent years, and if projects like this are a consequence, then I say hallelujah! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This two CD set is great for new and old bluegrass fans alike. 36 songs combine the best of bluegrass and country music with Dr. Ralph Stanley's high tenor harmonies to create an unforgettable CD set that is well worth the price.

For those of you from the country scene new to bluegrass, you'll hear many voices you recognize from the country radio scene including Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill, George Jones and Kathy Mattea just to name a few.

You'll also get to hear many of today's bluegrass greats including Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krause and Gillian Welch.

Although all tracks are excellent, some of the standouts are his rendition of "Pretty Polly" with Patty Loveless, "Thy Burdens are
greater than mine" and "Lonesome Banjo Man" with his son, "Bright Morning Star" with Kathy Mattea and "The Lonesome River" with Bob Dylan.

Hal Ketcham is quoted in the liner notes of 'Clinch Mountain Country' saying, "Singing with Ralph Stanley is like painting with Picasso." Stanley is indeed the master of what he himself calls Mountain Music (not to be confused with the gosh-awful song by Alabama).

In 1997, Stanley decided to make a recording with some of his favorite musicians. Before he knew it, Stanley was fielding calls from a flood of musicians wanting to join in. Here are just a few who were lucky enough to be included on the disc with Stanley:
Dwight Yokam
Ricky Skaggs
Vince Gill
Patty Loveless
George Jones
Gillian Welch
Bob Dylan

And that's just on Disc One!

If you've never heard of Ralph Stanley, if you were on Jupiter when 'O Brother Where Art Thou' came out last year, spend the money and hear the magic of Ralph Stanley.

Disc One 51:07
Disc Two 52:42

"THE BEST DAD GUM" Blue Grass I have heard in a long time. I used to play banjo for Jimmie Skinner untill he passed away and I know a lot of the poeple on this album. I am a big fan of Ralph Stanley's and I think it is the best thing he ever done. If you like Blue Grass "BUY THIS ONE". Curley Lewis.

Nowadays, people separate bluegrass from "country". When Bill Monroe popularized bluegrass, it WAS country-- a real, honest-to-goodness style of country music. However, what's being played on so-called "country" stations these days is anything but country. Even though Ralph included some of those "new country" artists on this project, they proved that they CAN sing the real stuff, if they put their hearts and souls into it. My favorite artists included here are George Jones, the Isaacs, BR-549, Vince Gill, and a few others. I am so pleased that all styles of "country" music can come together here and do an outstanding job on some REAL "roots" music! This is fantastic!

What a great collection of songs and singers. I've long been a fan of bluegrass and country. After being disgusted with what country radio is playing currently, I have been leaning more and more towards bluegrass. What great performances on this cd, especially Patty Loveless on Pretty Polly. Also even though I'm not a big Joe Diffie fan, he does a great job as well. This Cd is one of the best you will listen to for a long time.

To be honest, I bought "Clinch Mountain Country" because I was simply disgusted with top 40 (manufactured) country, and was desperately searching for something with soul. This double CD is truly a treasure, and here's to hoping its success will catch Nashville's attention!

This CD has some real standout cuts that perfectly mesh the old and the new. How can you go wrong with George Jones, Patty Loveless, and Kathy Mattea singing some of the best country songs ever written? Here's what some of the artists themselves had to say (from the extensive booklet):

"Singing with Ralph Stanley is like painting with Picasso." -Hal Ketchum

"When I heard Ralph singing on 'Rank Stranger,' it changed my life." -Jim Lauderdale

"Standing next to him [Ralph Stanley] at the mic, I could hear how effortless this music is for him and what a deep place inside of him it comes from." -Kathy Mattea

"Ralph's voice to me, sounds as if an archangel is back on this earth singing or articulating emotion through song." -Dwight Yoakam

Bottom line: Clinch Mountain Country ranks right up there with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" as one of the best country fusion albums ever recorded.

Ralph's career spans over half a century, yet this album and it's sequel (Clinch mountain sweethearts, which I've also reviewed) may prove to be his most important legacy.

There are four main reasons for the success of this project.

1. Ralph is in remarkably good voice throughout - how many singers of his age could you say that about?.

2. His musicians are in top form, providing a bluegrass backing leaning towards traditional country.

3. Traditional country and bluegrass were not fashionable at the time, so this album was a total contrast to, and a refreshing change from, mainstream country. I love mainstream country too, but I also like the traditional music.

4. Because the music was unfashionable, nobody expected this to be a big seller, so all the guests were there to enjoy themselves, and it shows in the music.

The choice of songs is excellent, although I'm not sure why they chose to include Christmas songs (Beautiful star of Bethlehem with Connie Smith and Bright morning star with Kathy Mattea) - I love Christmas music, but I prefer it to be on separate CD's. Still, that's a minor point.

Your favorite tracks are likely to depend on who are your favorite guests. Bluegrass is well represented (of course), while there are several mainstream country singers, past and present. Porter and George's careers are almost as long as Ralph's, while Vince, Patty and Dwight were all at the peak of their careers when this was recorded.

The biggest surprise is Bob Dylan. He doesn't usually take part in such projects, but he fits in well. No doubt his inclusion helps to attract some people to this album who would otherwise ignore it.

Those who live in the mountains may relate directly to this music, but for those of us who live in cities, this is as good a piece of escapism as we're going to find, now that so much country music has gone uptown.

Enjoy this - and Clinch mountain sweethearts too !!!!

This is Ralph Stanley and the Boys working with some of the very best that Nashville has to offer. It measures up to "Saturday Night" and "Sunday Morning" for country stars returning to the fold of their mountain roots. "Bright Morning Stars" puts chills down my spine every time I hear it.
No dud tracks here, an essential for Folk, Bluegrass and Country fans.

Not only have enjoyed this CD - but have turned lots of friends on to it, that never thought about bluegrass as a musical effect -- We have all enjoyed thorougly, and now want to dig a little deeper in the well!