Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
about a good as it can get, July 5, 2001
After seeing Vince Gill's extraordinary performance on the televised tribute to Brian Wilson, I was in the mood to hear some of my "Vince" collection...and this CD is probably my most often played. His beautiful voice, amazing guitar technique, and a songwriting talent that's a blessing to the world, all come together in this superb recording to perfection.The title track is wonderful, and shows Vince's traditional bluegrass roots, as does "Given More Time", a touching love song for these hurried times we live in. "Worlds Apart" is a wrenching tale of a love gone cold, and another favorite is "Down to New Orleans", which always gets my feet wanting to dance. The finish, with the 2nd version of "High Lonesome Sound" featuring Alison Krauss and Union Station is amazing...though this is a sad song, it lifts my spirit with its artistry. With flawless musicianship, melodies, and great writing, this isn't just one of the best Country albums ever made, it's one of the best in any genre. The packaging is tasteful and lovely, with legible lyrics and info, and it sets the mood for this very special CD.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Diverse, Well Written - Appeals to Country & Mainstream Fans, November 9, 2004
In the 1990s, the Country Music began to go through some transitions. Country music which had for the most part stayed in a vacuum began to go mainstream and embrace other genres of music. As a result, the sound started to change. By the end of the 90s, Country Music had full blown established music superstars in Shania Twain and Faith Hill. One may argue that Twain and Hill have deviated from their Country Music roots - and to some extent I can agree with that argument. I do think that other Country Music artists have found a way to go toward the mainstream while keeping to their Country Music roots. One such artist is Vince Gill, who proves his album "High Lonesome Sound" that it possible to go mainstream and keep to the roots of Country Music. In addition, Gill also proves that the end product can be something that is very enjoyable.
By no means do I consider myself a Country Music expert. The nice thing about "High Lonesome Sound" is that I believe it caters to a fan like myself that may not be deep into Country Music, but can appreciate many of the elements Country Music can bring to the table. While Gill's Country Music could be directed to a more casual fan like myself, I think Gill does an admirable job at addressing the fan who is deeper when it comes to the Country Music genre. Vince Gill also isn't afraid to explore some different directions - and I think this goes a long way for helping this become more appealing to the mainstream fan.
Gill assembles a nice cast of studio musicians to help him on this effort. The most noteable musician is Leland Sklar on Bass. Sklar is best known for being a part of Phil Collins "Serious" band. He was the long hair, long bearded bass player. Sklar does an admirable job on Bass on this collection. There are also some noteable vocalists that help Gill out. Patty Loveless does harmony vocals on "Given More Time" while Shelby Lynne lends vocals on the tune "You and You Alone". Lynne's vocals really connect well with Gill and I wish they would do more work together. Other vocalists, Jeff White and Kim Richey lend some terrific background vocals on multiple tracks.
The opening track is "One Dance With You". When you listen to "One Dance with You", there immediately is a feeling for a country sound. However, there almost is a Doo-Wop-ish type of theme to this song. This Doo Wop-ish theme can be heard in the melody as well as some of the names that are in the lyrics ("Peggy Sue", "Mary Lou", etc). This is a very nice track and appealed to a casual fan like myself.
The title track "High Lonesome Sound" appears on the collection twice. This is a very Country sounding tune that is a very catchy tune. This song is the second track and the last track. The difference is the latter track has Alison Krauss and Union Station helping out with this song. You will hear a stronger fiddle element on the latter track that will give it a much more of a "Dixie Music" feel to it. Alison Krauss plays fiddle on that track and also lends background vocals to both of the tracks. I find the earlier track is the one that will appeal to a more mainstream fan, but the latter track isn't bad either.
The most popular track is the ballad "Pretty Little Adriana". This is definitely a cross-over track. Although it does sound more Pop/Adult Contemporary-ish - the gentle melodies and powerful vocals of this song I still think remain true to the Gill's Country Music Roots.
Another song where Gill does things a bit different is the song "Down to New Orleans". While Gill explored a Dixie sound on the latter version of "High Lonesome Sound", Gill integrates some Jazz and Blues sounding elements into a definite "New Orleans" feel of a song. Once again, Gill doesn't abandon his Country Music Roots and the end result is another great product.
Gill also proves he can be an outstanding storyteller. This is shown on the track "Jenny Dreamed Of Trains". This is an oustanding written song by both Vince Gill and Guy C. Clark. A lot of this song reminds me of Dan Fogelberg. It has a Dan Fogelberg-like soft piano introduction for about one minute. The song then proceeds to be a story in which he tells the story of a girl named Jenny who had a love of trains and then deals with the decline of the railroads in the U.S.. Another song in which Gill tells a nice story is "Given More Time" in which Gill portrays himself as a Working Man trying to balance time with his family. The song "Worlds Apart" is also very well written and deals with a couple going through empty nest syndrome and starting to question the love between them. There is a pause a little after 4 minutes into the song - giving it a very powerful effect.
Another good track that is very enjoyable is "A Little More Love" is another example of a Country Music song that appealed to a mainstream fan like myself.
The liner notes do contain all of the lyrics to all of the tunes. They do a nice job at lining up the studio musician credits to each song. This album pretty much surprised me. I originally wanted it for the song "Pretty Little Adriana", but I ended up discovering so much more. I especially got hooked on the title track. I also discovered what a diverse musician and talent that Vince Gill is. I think this is the perfect album to introduce yourself to Vince Gill and I think Gill fans will not be disappointed with this collection. I'd recommend adding it to your collection.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maintaining the expected quality, June 10, 2004
Vince has a very distinctive voice, which he uses to good effect on this interesting collection. Vince wrote or co-wrote all the songs, which are an excellent mix of ballads, mid-tempo and up-tempo songs.Perhaps the strangest song is Jenny dreamed of trains, about a girl living near a deserted railroad. I wonder what inspired Vince to write this song, which was covered by John Denver for his train song album, All aboard. Two versions of the up-tempo title track are included, both with Vince singing lead and Alison Krauss sing harmony but with one featuring Alison Krauss's band, Union Station, giving the song a bluegrass treatment. Apart from Alison, other harmony singers featured on the album include Kim Richey (A little more love), Patty Loveless (Given more time) and Shelby Lynne (You and you alone). Other outstanding songs include Pretty little Adriana and Down in New Orleans, but every song here is worth hearing. While I don't regard this as Vince's best album (my favorite is When I call your name), it has much to commend it. No self-respecting fan of Vince's music should be without it.
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by Vince Gill 
