Customer Reviews

From the Cradle to the Grave

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's face it today's "country" radio plays pop/country that sounds like pop songs from the 1980's. The country sound left today's country music a long time ago. Luckily Dale plays country like many of us remember, listen to and long for. Of course you'd never hear Dale on country radio - Why? It's TOO COUNTRY SOUNDING!

But thankfully, Dale can be heard on many Americana stations. This CD does sound a lot like a Johnny Cash album circa 1975. I especially like the tribute to Cash on the last song and the drama of "Justice For All".

This is Dale in fine form...Playing, writing and singing the music he loves....and what many would consider -real- country music.
No one today does it better!

This CD will not disappoint if you are a "hard core" country music fan (ie: Merle, Waylon, & Cash etc.)

Thanks Dale!

Kenny who? Carrie what? Today's country on the radio is a lite beer compared to where the genre came from - Hank, Cash, Waylon, Willie - the legends respected and built the music into something that endures and to be revered, not just product to be sold like toothpaste and toilet paper.

Dale shows a deep respect to country on this release as well as blazing his own trail. This ain't good time, frat party boozing fodder. This is life and death put to music.

Being a mental health professional myself, if a concerned third party were to show me some of Dale's lyrics on this CD I would recommend an (immediate)intervention! Much as was the case on "Every song I write is for you", there are some extremely bleak sentiments on this disc. I'm REALLY glad to hear that Dale is on an upswing personally, because he is the best country artist of his generation (and a real nice guy). I got this disc and "The Little Darlin' Sessions" on the same day. I thought I was going to prefer the other disc to this one, but this is actually far more creative and original. The sound quality is much better, and this is Dale at his creative best. I could have done with a bit less of the Cash beat that runs throughout the CD, but (given the circumstances) I understand the reason. This is easily the most instrumentally creative disc Dale has cut, and also the least honky tonk or swing influenced(if you like that style, his last disc "Whiskey or God" was probably his best since his Hightone days). As for this set, "It's not over now" is a terrific ballad, and shows some Elvis influence in the vocals. "Time without you" has some incredibly depressed lyrics ("I curse my healthy heart for keeping the blood runnin' through my veins", "I open my eyes each morning and I regret to greet the day" - ouch!), and is delivered in a decidedly non-tongue in cheek manner. Hang in there, DW! Along with the obvious nod to the Man in Black, there's a lot of Waylon's sound on the disc (particularly on "You always get what you always got", with the Ralph Mooney-esque steel and Waylon beat). "Tomorrow never comes" is bleak and haunting. On the other hand, "Hollywood hillbilly" would have been OK on another Dale CD, but seems out of place here. Every other tune is quite serious, so (as was the case on "Every song I write is for you")I think Dale should have stayed with the theme of the album. Overall, this is an interesting change of pace for Dale, and contains a few songs that will rate among his best. This may be the best true tribute to Johnny Cash that anyone has done to date, capturing the feel of the Man in Black's best work without any actual covers of Cash songs.

I was a bit curious when I heard Dale Watson no longer wanted his music to be called country. Nor did he want to be associated with country music.

I can't really blame him no true country singer with a half of grain of integrity would want to touch it with a ten-foot pole anymore.
I pondered what his new genre he named ameripolitan would sound like.
I anxiously awaited his new cd called "Justice for all" and the suspense was well worth it. He recorded this cd a log cabin previously
owned by his idol Johnny Cash. The Cash influence is evident throughout this ten-song masterpiece. I also hear a bit of a Carter Family influence on "Why oh Why Live a Lie"

Dale wrote nine of the ten tracks and his brilliant song writing skills are evident.It kicks off the title track "Justice for all" a tune about Lady Justice and how blind "she" can be at times.
The video to this song also must see it's on you tube

The tracks are well balanced with a ballad, songs about losing your loved one, a couple of up tempo cuts, how you life is lived, and
To finding relief for your crime in "Yellow Mama" A song about Alabama's Electric chair.


Dale's powerful and easily sung baritone shines though out this must have cd. He is back by his band and they have never sounded better.
The cd cover and liner notes appear to be in a sepia tone with a photo of a tombstone on the front with Country Music Rip on the front of it. Yea some of the tunes are a bit dark but they still shine like diamonds in the rough.

Dale Watson is an original talent who again brings his excellent voice and band together to save us from the Nashville Rash. His music is what good country music once was. As with so many of his prior great CDs, this CD is also great entertainment. I listen to it (and all DW music) just for the fun in it. And he just keeps getting better. This CD brings ol' Johnny back to us. Great music!

This CD offers an insight into what great modern country music ought to sound like. In this collection, Dale Watson and his band draw from the influences of Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Lefty Frizzell to build a collection of songs that touch something deep. The songs on this CD have a heart and soul that modern country lost some years back. Watson and his band demonstrate the guts to deliver an uncompromising CD that deserves uncompromising praise.

and by that I mean very good. If you enjoy Dale's other releases, you'll like this one too. I won't bother repeating what some of the other reviewers have stated about the current state of country music. I imagine most people reading these reviews are somewhat familiar with Watson's music. If you're not, give him a listen. If you are, once again, Dale doesn't disappoint.

And another thing. If you ever get the opportunity to see this guy live, I highly recommend it.

I read some reviews on the album and decided to buy it. I had an older Watson album from the 1990's that I wasn't too impressed with. I am into a little more of the faster paced stuff, Hank III, and more of the rockabilly scene. But I heard a cool Watson song on sirius one day and decided to give him another try. I read reviews for some albums and this one seemed to get the best reviews. SO I gave it a shot. The first time I listened to it, I thought it sounded a bit too...."country." A little slower paced than I like and too well produced. For some reason, I found myself listening again and again. The songs caught me and I left the CD in my player in the car for over a week. "Justice For All" is an excellent song, well written, great lyrics, great vocals and just overall a good song. The title track is probably the next best song on the album. I think overall, I agree with most of the reviews I read about this being a great album.

Dale Watson is so good it's astonishing. His singing is as rich, soulful, and well, "country" as any of the influences that he so freely and proudly acknowledges (Merle, Johnny, Lefty, etc.). Dale is proud to be carrying on an American musical tradition as deep and important as jazz, rock or blues. Thank goodness we have such a powerful personality with such musical gifts to carry on the tradition. He's certainly not the only singer carrying on the tradition but he's the best for sure. No one comes close.
As for his songs, they are fabulous. Intellingent, heart-felt lyrics that can be heart-wrenching one minute and hilarious the next. Dale's songs are firmly within the country tradition (Dale might not like the "country" label at all- but that's another story) while being unique at the same time. You know you've heard those chord changes or that steel intro somewhere, but it doesn't matter at all, and within seconds you know you're listening to a new classic, not a copy.
Buy this and every other Dale Watson CD you can get your hands on.

Dale Watson is strong, like steel. Dale Watson is tough, like leather. Dale Watson is deep, like a well. And Dale Watson is smooth, like silk. If you take all those attributes, and you combine them with that VOICE - that glorious, iron-wrapped-in-suede voice! - you will come up with an artist who is consistantly at the top of his game, true to both himself and his music. True, I was a LITTLE disappointed at first when it seemed as if there really wasn't anything new, be it vocally or instrumentally, on the disc, but after a few listens, I was reminded.....this is who Watson is, and this is what makes him special (Plus, if you listen closely, you do hear a few new subtle surprises, both in the vocals and the arrangements!). Things kick off with the dark, forboding "Justice For All." Even though there's a lilting quality to the instrumentation, Watson delivers such lyrics as "Revenge is mine sayith the Lord/Well he's one lucky guy" and "An eye for an eye/Would leave the whole world blind" in a somber, serious voice, only adding to the chilling - yet captivating! - aspects of the song. By the time he gets to the start of the final verse ("Don't do as i do a wiser man would say/When on a journey of revenge/Be sure to dig two graves"), Watson has completely drawn you in, won you over, and made it VERY clear you're in for a very special ride! "It's Not Over Now" is a classic country weeper, all steely vocal, smooth instrumentation and lyrics that make it clear....it doesn't get easier with time/age! "Time Without You" follows the same theme, but takes it yet one step further....here's a guy who's so miserable and alone that he just doesn't want to go on ("I curse my healthy heart for keepin'/The blood runnin' through my veins/I open my eyes each mornin' and I regret/To greet the day"). The toe-tapping arrangement may seem odd at first, but it offsets the downbeat lyrics in a unique way, resulting in a track that's sad, yet not really depressing. One of FTCTTG's high points! "Hollywood Hillbilly" is a swingin' tribute to buddy Johnny Knoxville, but it really could be about anyone who's able to stay true to themselves and who they are, even after being transplanted into a new, more alien, environment. "You Always Get What You Always Got" is another gem. Anchored by ringing guitars and a lead vocal done in a slightly deeper register, Watson makes it clear that, if you tend to repeat your mistakes over or over, you're bound to fail....and it WILL catch up to you in the end ("Life is a lesson and the lesson I've learned/Is the choice you make is going to be long term/If there's any thing brother that I can say/Is that you'll pay tomorrow for what/You do today"). Pretty powerful stuff! The disc's title track is another strong cut....it's almost as if Watson were channelling Johnny Cash, what with the deep, knowing vocal and "Ring Of Fire" vibe. Add some killer fiddle and strong lyrics ("All we really are are the memories/That we've made/And leave behind from the cradle to the grave") and you have an instant classic! "Why Oh Why Live A Lie" has a glorious melancholy to it. This is obviously a love song, but it could also be a kiss-off to a record industry that just never has seemed to know what to do with Watson ("The talk you talk ain't the walk you walk/Why oh why live a lie/The words you speak you don't really mean/Why oh why live a lie"). Add a great instrumental bridge and you have yet another winner! Maybe it's because I'm not sure what a "Yellow Mama" is, but this track of the same name is the only one from FROM..... that leaves me cold. The arrangement lopes along, and Watson is in fine voice throughout, but he's done this sort of song before, and done it better. Listen to Dale, kids....don't drink (or fall in love!).....it'll only lead to no good! There's an urgency and edginess to "Tomorrow Never Comes" that is both cryptic and mesmerizing. Part spaghetti Western, part fever dream, the song curls around you like a musical rattler. Without a doubt, one of Watson's Top Five tracks to date. Absolutely haunting, yet strangely beautiful as well! Things wrap up with "Runaway Train", an upbeat, barn-burning tribute to Johnny Cash. Blazing along, you can't help but feel the respect Watson has for the Man In Black. You also find yourself wondering if maybe, just maybe, he identifies with him a tad bit as well ("A life born torn and worn like a runaway train"). A GREAT album closer! So do yourself a favor and pick up FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE....it's one of Dale Watson's best yet, and coming from a man who's always in top form, that's saying a lot! Actually, the only (slight) complaint I have is with Dale's wardrobe....enough with the waistcoats, fancy shirts and startched pants of the last few album covers...he's starting to look like a straight-laced preacher-man! PLEASE, Dale.....let's get back to jeans, engineer boots and leather on the next album! :>) (As with all my reviews, I'm giving the disc an extra half a star for including the lyrics).