Customer Reviews

Definitive Collection

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Allison's roots are in country but, like her equally brilliant sister Shelby Lynne, she likes other types of music too and has followed Shelby's example by recording music that draws on a variety of influences. The result is music that appeals to some country fans (even including traditional country fans) as well as some fans of blues and rock music.

Allison first made her mark with an emotional ballad (A soft place to fall) recorded for a soundtrack (The horse whisperer), It later appeared on her debut album (Alabama song), which confirmed that emotional ballads are Allison's kind of song. The first five tracks on this compilation come from that magnificent debut album, beginning with A soft place to fall. Allison's second album (The hardest part) is, if anything, even more emotional than Alabama song. Three tracks from that album (the title track, Is it worth it, Send me down an angel) are included here.

Perhaps remembering that she got her big break via a soundtrack, Allison contribute further recordings to such albums including I ain't the one (from a Los Straitjackets album - Allison performed the song with them and Lonesome Bob), Moonshiner (from the Songcatcher album, a brilliant but controversial album as not all the music appeared in the film) and Tumbling down (from The Rookie). Of these, Tumbling down appeared on Allison's third album (Miss Fortune) but the other two didn't appear on an Allison Moorer album for the first time here. Besides Tumbling down, three other tracks are included from Miss Fortune, which contains a further selection of mainly melancholy songs, though the sound of this album is slightly different - a little more rock and a little less country but not too dramatic.

Next comes Storms never last, a track that Allison recorded for a Waylon Jennings tribute album (Lonesome on'ry and mean). The collection is completed by the inclusion of four tracks from her live album, chosen to avoid duplicating any of the songs represented here via studio recordings.

As an introduction to Allison's music, this is brilliant, especially as it includes some songs that hadn't previously appeared on Allison's albums. It doesn't include all such songs (for example Light of a clear blue morning, from Just because I'm a woman - a Dolly Parton tribute album) but this is the first compilation of Allison's music to be released.

This is a CD to buy more than one copy of. One for you, and one for a friend to get them hooked on Allison Moorer. Her music is one of a kind, barely able to be contained in one genre, (country?rock?alt-country?), and she does one hell of a live show. I saw her at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and she blew me away. This CD is especially good because it includes some some songs that had previously only been available on other people's CD's, like "Storms Never Last". Happy Listening!

This should be called "The Defnitive Collection...So Far". Allison has created a lot of brilliant, beautiful music and I'm sure there's much more to come. For die hards this is worthy for those songs not included on her proper albums. For beginners it's a good introduction and overview of her work so far. When a complete retrospective is compiled many years from now we'll have an impressive, vital collection of a great, underrated artist.

I thought my Handel's "Messiah" review would be my first and last, musically, but I was wrong. Strange as it may seem, Allison Moorer's songs touched a chord deep, very deep in me. Of the 19 songs in this album 16 are just extraordinary in all ways: her voice is beautiful and forceful, the instruments just follow her lead, modestly, never daring to overshadow her, in awe and humble admiration. But the words, oh my! what words... These poems are daggers to the hearts. If you are a man and you listen to Allison Moorer telling you this stuff, you're going to fall in love with her right away. Of course there are songs like "I Ain't The One" that use a different approach... but the effect is the same.

This is music made simple (simple gets it done). A beautiful woman, singing beautifully and unpretentiously. A favorite song? the one that killed me was "Storms Never Last". This is not a song, this is an epiphany. There's a quality in these songs that bring out memories that we treasure, and experiences we never had but long for with all our heart and soul.

Allison Moorer is one more reason why I love America.

Absolutely one of the most talented female artists in Music today.
I have been a fan of Allison Moorer since she began in the 90's.
She's country, rock, folk, blues, and everything in between plus more (hence the reason you may have to check several different locations in a store to find it)
And this is a wonderful compilation that strings together some of her most popular and well loved songs from previous albums, and also adds a few superior extras (like her cover of "Storms Never Last")
Her voice is deep and powerful, and her lyrics are simply unmatched in their thoughfulness.
I dare you not to love the quiet strength of "A Soft Place to Fall" and "Let Go"
And not be moved by her tribute to her late mother in "Is Heaven Good Enough for You"
Her edgier, up tempo songs like "Set you Free" and "Hey Jezebel" would have been multi-platinum hits if covered by another mainstream artist.
And frankly for moody haunting lyrics "Dying Breed" cannot be beat.
Every single song on this CD is a keeper..and how often can you really say that about a compilation CD anymore?

Buy this CD, you will not regret it.

If this CD had also included her cover of "Here Comes The Sun", a song she cut for a "Save our Mother Ocean" (or something like that) benefit CD, then this CD collection would be perfect.

What we do have here are highlights from her 3 studio records and one live record on the MCA and Universal South labels. No tracks from "The Duel" here.

No sense in pointing out songs from "The Hardest Part" that I thought belonged here. I already own that CD anyway. I bought this one for the previously unreleased stuff, like I hope all Allison Moorer fans will.

Hopefully her core and casual fans will quit jabbering about the recent upheavals in her personal life and go out and buy this record as a show of support, even if they already own 85% on the material on this CD.

....and too "country" for rock, but Allison is an absolute treasure. Really, she defies classification...more now than formerly. Nor are there any true comparisons for her, save for the one obvious one. [And she appears here as a guest].

From the opening "A Soft Place To Fall", thru the BIG HIT "Alabama Song" [well...it SHOULD have been a big hit], to the closing, and absolutely haunting, "Is Heaven Good Enough For You", this is a truly wonderful 70+ minute compilation from Allison's first four albums [3 studio, 1 live]. If the ending duet doesn't give you the shakes...it grows out of Allison and Shelby Lynne's family tragedy.

I'm not a "country" fan, but I love Allison [and Shelby Lynne]...fabulous voice, well used. Why she isn't better known, a bigger star, escapes me. Perhaps it's simply that she refuses to "fit" [more true for Shelby even than Allison]. If you appreciate real talent and great singing, you will REALLY enjoy this record. In one of my Shelby reviews I made a flippant comment about what would happen if she tried opera...with Allison...Well...She does have an awesome voice.....I guess it's OK to dream..................

This CD includes by favorite song "Looking for a soft place to fall". Her voice is amazing. CD maybe should be 4 stars. As it won't be my favorite CD as a couple of the songs are too "country" for me and I skip them, but most are very good. A couple are great. It's easy to listen too.

I had never heard her before and was exploring somewhere and heard a snippet and then listened to more samples at Amazon and then bought this album. I love it - very haunting music and quite evocative.

Allison Moorer is a genius of a performer and great singer, songwriter. This collection shows her best songs from her collection of fine CDs in my opinion. The collection doesn't have access to her Sugar Hill CDs ,but it has her major label best like "Soft Place to Fall' and "Is Heaven Good Enough For You. My favorite CD of all is her first "Alabama Song" and then "Show", a live CD/DVD. You can't go wrong with this.