Customer Reviews

I Feel Like Singing Today

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

 

 

This is one of the best CDs of last year, bluegrass or any style. Ralph Stanley, as always, is stunning, and Lauderdale proves himself as one of the finest songwriters in the business. "I Feel Like Singing Today" is the kind of song people could be singing 100 years from now. "Like Him" is one of the most beautiful gospel songs I have ever heard recorded. It's hard to believe the song isn't 100 years old. With Steve Earle's "Mountain" and Dolly Parton's "The Grass is Blue" both also coming out last year, my CD player isn't getting much rest. All three CD's are great, but this one is hard to top.

Ralph's gift to us all has been the inspiration he gives other muscians and song writers. This CD is my favorite of the 350 or so that I have bought during the last 5 years. It has it all, singing with feeling, muscianship, new songs, old songs, ledgends backing up the new singer, bluegrass story telling songs, and gospels. If you could only buy one bluegrass CD; buy this one. If you like Hazel Dickens, Alison Krauss, Bill Monroe, Buck Owens, Mac Wisman, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Longview, or Asleep at the Wheel, then Jim Lauderdale's and Ralph Stanley's make you 'Feel Like Singing Today'. This CD celebrates!

Teaming up with the reigning patriarch of bluegrass music Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys isn't a guarantee for success, but Jim Lauderdale makes this pairing an absolute joy from start to finish. Unlike another album that came out the same year using the same formula (Steve Earle's pairing with the Del McCroury Band), Lauderdale wrote (or co-wrote) only about two-thirds of these songs, and will on occasion take a back seat to Stanley, who takes the lead vocal on the a capella "Like Him," one of nine Lauderdale originals.

Lauderdale slips into the bluegrass genre like he was born into it. The opening track, "I Feel Like Singing Today," is another Lauderdale original that begins the album on an upbeat toe-tapping note. Lauderdale's songwriting partner on a couple tracks is none other than Grateful Dead Lyricist Robert Hunter. They penned the rollicking "Joy, Joy, Joy" and "I Will Wait for You."

Lauderdale's originals hold up well along such bluegrass chestnuts as "You'll Find Her Name Written There" and "What About You," perhaps more closely associated with Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs respectively. In addition there are a pair of Carter Stanley gems, "Harbor of Love" and "Who Will Sing for Me."

The album closes on a high note with Ralph Stanley taking the lead vocal on the Lauderdale original "Who Thought the Railroad Wouldn't Last." This is powerful music. In his liner notes Lauderdale says he wants to "celebrate and share" the music of Ralph Stanley. He has succeeded gloriously. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

It's funny the mood one gets into at times. I was thinking about the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou and its' soundtrack. So I am strolling through my local FYE mall record shop and I see this interesting CD cover in the used bin. I layed down my $7.00 and took it home. On the pile of unlistened too CD's it layed for about 2 weeks. Well, I popped it into the kitchen, under counter, SONY CD player and what a pleasent surprise. This Lauderdale/Stanley endeavor is great. The CD gets out of the gate with a great Lauderdale penned tune, title track of the CD, I FEEL LIKE SINGING. This along with the cuts, MAPLE ON THE HILL, ANOTHER SINNERS PRAYER, HIGHWAY THROUGH MY HOME, and WHO WILL SING FOR ME make this a wonderful musical journey. Great song writing by Jim Lauderdale and wonderful Bluegrass by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. This CD is a pleasure. Buy it.

I've always felt that there are two types of bluegrass music. There is the high, lonesome sound filled with dark lyrics that are most appropriate when driving down a dark, windy road among tall, Southern pines. On the other side of the spectrum, there is the joyful, feel-good kind of bluegrass that puts you in the mood to make homemade ice cream on a sunny Sunday afternoon. When Jim Lauderdale teams up with Ralph Stanley, you can set high expectations for a well-written vocal masterpiece that puts you in the mood for making some ice cream and you will not be disappointed. Ralph Stanley, affectionately called Dr. Ralph by his hard core fans, has been making bluegrass music for fifty-five years, but has recently become nationally recognized due to the success of the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack. Jim Lauderdale is a country traditionalist who has penned songs for such stars as George Strait, the Dixie Chicks and Mark Chesnutt.

Jim and Dr. Ralph have recently teamed up on I Feel Like Singing Today, an album recorded on the Rebel Records label. I Feel Like Singing Today is true to it's title. Halfway into the first song, coincidentally the title track, your toe is tapping and you find yourself harmonizing with Dr. Ralph, Jim and the Clinch Mountain Boys. About half of the songs on the album are gospel songs, while the other half of the songs are made up of topics such as love, loss and the highway intruding upon one man's land. Of the gospel songs, the most breathtaking piece is "Like Him." "Like Him" is written by Lauderdale and sounds much like a hymn written a century ago. The harmony is chilling as Lauderdale, Stanley and the band lay down their instruments and bring the listener into a magical world. Stanley's high harmonies complement the low voices of Lauderdale and the Clinch Mountain Boys on this a cappella piece. As the next track, "I Wish That Today Could Be Tomorrow," plays, you once again become aware of your surroundings and are transported from your "Like Him" trance into reality. "I Wish That Today Could Be Tomorrow" is a playful track that describes the impatience of two young lovers waiting on their wedding day. Every track on the album is special and time simply does not allow for an apt description of every great tune. Nine of the 15 tracks are written or co-written by Lauderdale, who seems to move with ease from his regular honky-tonk repertoire to bluegrass. The vocals mingle together as if Dr. Ralph and Jim were made to sing together and the upbeat songs just make for a good time. I Feel Like Singing Today is one of the best albums of recent times and should be in every bluegrass fan's collection.

Wahhhoooo! Jim Lauderdale and Ralph Stanley are magic together. I've been waiting for this CD for over a year when Jim mentioned he was working on it after his lastest round of touring. His last disk, Whisper, ends with "I'll Lead You Home" w/ Dr. Stanley and I knew that more of the same would just send me skyward. Well, here it is and it plays on my CD changer between Jim's also new "Onward Through it All" and Whisper... what a fantastic afternoon of music that is. Just saw them both in Chicago at Schubas and I couln't help but sing along. Dr. Stanley and Jim just light up the stage with their energy and music. So good. Already ordered more as gifts. YeeHaaaa!

Ralph's gift to us all has been the inspiration he gives other muscians and song writers. This CD is my favorite of the 350 or so that I have bought during the last 5 years. It has it all, singing with feeling, muscianship, new songs, old songs, ledgends backing up the new singer, bluegrass story telling songs, and gospels. If you could only buy one bluegrass CD; buy this one. If you like Hazel Dickens, Alison Krauss, Bill Monroe, Buck Owens, Mac Wisman, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Longview, or Asleep at the Wheel, then Jim Lauderdale's and Ralph Stanley's will make you 'Feel Like Singing Today'. This CD celebrates!

An impeccable slice of Bluegrass. Move over,'O Brother' and make room for Lauderdale, Stanley and the Clinch kids. If I need to discriminate, for the sake of the uninitiated, I'd nominate the central part of the disc as my pearl of deep colour, starting with,'Joy, Joy' Joy', the memorable,'Like Him','I Wish Today Could be Tomorrow', and,'Another Sinner's Prayer'. Ralph's part in these songs is hugely responsible for my favouritism; an emotive tool that can make you kneel in gratitude. Lauderdale is a superb songwriter/performer and this set places him squarely on my Bluegrass map.