Customer Reviews

Durango (April 17-April 30)

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One more album to add to the 7 already out there by the Coal Porters. An excellent and well produced collection of bluegrass from a native Kentuckian, Sid Griffin. Formerly the leader of The Long Ryders, he has blazed a trail of successful musical enterprises from groups to writer / author of several books on Bob Dylan. Relocating to England he has worked with the best bluegrass musicians that the country has to offer. It should not be surprising to anyone that bluegrass is well and alive in England since most bluegrass came out of English, Scottish and Irish folk songs that were brought to America by immigrants in the 1800's and sung in the hills of Tennesee, Kentucky and Viginia where many of those immigrants chose to settle. For those who like good bluegrass music, I highly recommend this selection and that you look into others out there by Sid and company. Once again, another fine effort by The Coal Porters.

This album is beautifully recorded -- basically live to the mixing board in the studio without acoustic dividers between the musicians and singers -- and the music making (in all aspects - singing, instrumental facility and arrangements) is simply top notch. I thought in error that the songs would be a mixture of Americana genres (folk, country-folk, weird old American, etc) but the album (for the greater part) is a bluegrass album (albeit done superbly) which I like in small doses but not for an entire album. If you do enjoy bluegrass, however, I guarantee that you will savor, if not love unabashedly, this CD and give it repeated spins.