Cold Hard Facts

Del McCoury | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 1996)
• Original Release Date: 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0000002O1
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,182 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-Driving Bluegrass, May 21, 2001

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cold Hard Facts (Audio CD)

Now in his seventies, Del McCoury is one of the few surviving traditionalists from the Bill Monroe school of bluegrass featuring the trademark high lonesome vocal sound. In fact, in the mid-Sixties, McCoury served a stint with the father of bluegrass music as guitar player and lead vocalist in Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.

While McCoury takes a traditionalist's approach to bluegrass, his song selection certainly steps outside the box as shown by his covers of Robert Cray's "Smoking Gun" and Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road."

And you won't find a better collection of musicians in bluegrass music. Del's band includes sons Rob (banjo) and Ronnie (possibly the best mandolin player around), Jason Carter (fiddle), Mike Bub (bass) and the best Dobro player on the planet, Jerry Douglas. They all get a chance to shine on Ronnie's instrumental "Baltimore Jonny."

This is hard-driving bluegrass with standout tracks like "Hard on My Heart" and "Snake in the House" and will make a fine addition to your collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it and listen and listen and listen! IT'S THE BEST!, January 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cold Hard Facts (Audio CD)

What is it about family singing and performing together? There is a spirit that enters the performance and pure joy and happiness comes rolling out of the speakers. That's what I feel when I listen to Del,Ronnie, and Rob and the rest of the band. The timing is perfect, the love of performing is very evident and it's evident why this band is the very best Bluegrass Band performing today! You can feel the emotion in each song especially the dark emotion of Henry Walker and Blackjack County Chains and the fun and excitement of Snake In The House. Every song tells a story in such a way you can see and feel every word and note. As you can see, I'm blown away by this band. Go buy it and you will be too.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars real country, May 16, 2001

By 

Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cold Hard Facts (Audio CD)

With the watered-down pop-slick music that's labeled "country" these days, what a joy it is to hear The Del McCoury Band. The musicianship is absolutely astoundingly jaw-dropping good in its perfection, with raw emotion and soul pouring out of each song.

Del's voice, with that "high & lonesome" sometimes raspy sound, has a terrific range of feeling...listen to "Smoking Gun", and another favorite, "Blackjack County Chains", with its weeping fiddle and guitar work, and marvelous melody.

Sadly, the booklet insert doesn't include the lyrics. As Robert Oermann says in it: "Del is particularly noted for choosing dark, almost morbid lyrics and dramatic story songs"...and the songs in this CD have a "bite" and a lot of humor nestled between the hard-luck and "cold hard facts" of life stories.

This CD is true blue Americana art at its finest, and if you like bluegrass, it's a must to own.