Customer Reviews

Fair Weather

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

 

 

Love it because it's GOOD! Alison Brown must be the only Big Name Banjo player educated at Harvard with an MBA from UCLA and her own record label. What's important on THIS recording, however, is that she is also on the VERY short list of the best banjo players(or musicians) - period. She also plays guitar so well that on "Deep Gap" (named after Doc Watson's home town) you can't tell which track is Alison and which is IBMA guitar player of the year David Grier. Her compositions are steller, the arrangements sparkle, and she gets the most out of her band and guest stars. Great vocals from Vince Gill, Claire Lynch and fellow NewGranger Tim O'Brien. Blistering hot instrumental work from Rice, Bush, Fleck, Duncan, Marshall, Grier and the woman herself. This grammy-winning album joins the cannon of "classic" bluegrass recordings. I had to "edit" my Amazon list to include it!

Does Alison Brown ever tire of comparisons to banjo master Bela Fleck? Surely she must. W this CD, she returns to her BG roots, with a truly star studded lineup. The outstanding "The Devil went down to Berkley" features the old DGQ band (Anger, Marshall, Phillips & the incomparable Tony Rice). Another track features the Flinner/Phillips/Grier trio (okay, so maybe David Grier is comparable to Tony Rice). THE highlight on the disk is a remarkable cover of Elvis Costello's (that's right, Elvis Costello) "Everyday I Write the Book" featuring Sam Bush on vocals. Another highlight is "Leaving Cottondale" featuring the aforementioned Mr. Fleck. The liner notes say she's on one side, he on the other, but I can't tell one from the other. This disk will surely bring to mind Bela's Bluegrass SEssions, although it doesn't have the couple of oddities Bela threw in on his (eg, "Polka on the Banjo" & "Do You Have Room" - shouldve been no room for THAT dog on that otherwise flawless disk). Get it.

Whether it due to the passing of Bill Monroe or the unexpected success of "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", many mainstream country (Patty Lovelace, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill) and new acoustic (Bela Fleck) artists have released work that either pay homage to their bluegrass roots or at least have some sort of "retro-grass" sound. And while a cover version of Elvis Costello's "Every Day I Write the Book" ain't exactly "Uncle Pen," it's interesting and refreshing to hear Alison Brown's evocative banjo picking in a more traditional setting. Alison lined up many of the bluegrass world's usual suspects (Fleck, Mike Marshall, Daryl Anger, Tim O'Brien, Stuart Duncan) to deliver an effort that's both accessible ("Book," "Everybody's Talkin'", and the title song - great vocal by Gill!) and exciting ("Shake and Howdy" and her signature breakdown, "Leaving Cottondale" - worthy of re-recording here because of the great banjo interplay between Alison and Bela).

Alison will undoubtedly continue to record with her jazz-oriented band (not that there's anything wrong with that), but for those of us who enjoy the acoustic string sound, this one will have to do for awhile. Fortunately, it's a very enjoyable ride.

I'm not a fan of jazzy bluegrass. I'm not a great admirer of Bela Fleck or even Psychograss. This isn't a philosophical issue or political issue with me, it's just a musical one. I don't think the music sounds good.

So I was wary of Alison Brown, who is clearly of the opposite opinion. But with this record, she has won me over. This is her "bluegrass record", as compared to some other more experimental or jazz-related records. And for me it hits just the right mix. I feel like baby bear on this one -- it's not too jazzy, not to traditional. It's JUST RIGHT.

While "Leaving Cottondale" won an award for best bluegrass instrumental, my favorite cut is one called Poe's Picking Party. I never get tired of it. Twin mandos in a kind of baroque ensemble.

The musicanship is great all around. The mandolin work is outstanding. I never knew Sam Bush could play like that. And of course the banjo playing is great. Alsion uses a lot of the melodic style that I associate with Bill Keith, but she can also do straight ahead Scruggs with the best of them. The material provides lots of variety, with guest vocals by Claire Lynch and Tim O'Brien, to name a couple. Blistering and soothing, it's all here.

All in all, this is a record I go back to again and again. And now I even listen to and enjoy Alison's other records, like Simple Pleasures and Look Left. Highly recommended.

I can't stop listening to this CD! What a pleasure it is to hear Alison Brown return to her bluegrass roots. Contributions by fellow super pickers Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan (just to name a few) are icing on the cake.

This is great cd for bluegrass/newgrass fans. It has some of Alison's original Dawg-style tunes featuring early DGQ members, a couple of hot banjo breakdowns, some great guest vocalists for the bluegrass songs, and some really creative banjo playing from one of the best players on the scene. Also, some really hot fiddling by Stuart Duncan.

First rate album, most easily appreciated by those who love both bluegrass and other acoustic forms that grew from the bluegrass tree. (new grass, jazz grass, whatever). The musicianship is first rate and there is a lot of variety in vocalists, playing styles, tempos. The Elvis Costello song (sung by bluegrass/ newgrass star Sam Bush) is probably the litmus test as to whether you want to check out other Alison Brown albums. Since this is (from what I hear) her most blue-grassy offering, if you don't like the Costello song, stop with Fair Weather. If enjoy mixing things that don't seem to, at first glance, go together, you will want more Alison Brown. This is my second and I want more.

A very nice CD, marred only by somewhat questionable judgment in the inclusion of songs by Elvis Costello and Fred Neil. Not that Costello and Neil aren't great -- they are -- but their music doesn't really lend itself well to bluegrass style.

This album is straight up, traditional blue/new grass rather than the banjo-jazz fusion of her last few albums and is enjoyable for that reason. I like the staight bluegrass side of her music but am a little disappointed since I really loved the brilliant inovations that she showcased on her "Quartet" and "Look Left" albums. The bottom line is that this is an excellent bluegrass album but it doesn't go beyond the tradition.

I can't stop listening to this CD! What a pleasure it is to hear Alison Brown return to her bluegrass roots. Contributions by fellow super pickers Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan (just to name a few) are icing on the cake.