IV

Chatham County Line | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 4, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B00121QGDG
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,976 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The finger-busting "Clear Blue Sky" banjo tune and the stately mandolin instrumental "Paige" prove that these North Carolinians aren’t ready to sacrifice their bluegrass roots. Yet Chatham County Line’s IV is a pop album built around close harmony singing with arrangements that owe as much to the ‘Stones as to the Stanley Brothers. It’s often pop with an edge. "Birmingham Jail" recounts that city’s Civil Rights travails. "I Got Worry" is a thumping blues number. "Chip of a Star" is ornate and textural thanks to flat-top and steel guitars that churn and sigh beneath leader Dave Wilson’s sweet, lilting voice. Across their nine-year history the band has crept toward a pleasing fusion of acoustic tradition and modernist songwriting, preserving and expanding their drumless mountain music sound as well as their audience. In the conservative realm of bluegrass that feat requires subtle mastery, a quality in abundance on this pleasing, accomplished album. --Ted Drozdowski

Product Description

New traditionalists Chatham County Line are back with their most ambitious album to date. The North Carolina quartet's fourth album IV, is a boozy blend of Americana and loose acoustic rockers that exhibits the band's ever-evolving style. CCL continues their dedication to traditional instruments by using their love for bluegrass as a base on which to layer an eclectic blend of roots music. Bluegrass workouts like "The Carolinian" stand beside pop geared numbers such as "Chip of a Star" and the hard soul of "Birmingham Jail." The progression seen on IV is helped along by indie pop musician and producer Chris Stamey (Yo La Tengo, Alex Chilton, Alejandro Escovedo), making for a starkly heartfelt testament to making the past new again

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confident new traditionalists following their own muse, May 8, 2008

By 

J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IV (Audio CD)

Playing Time - 46:12 -- With three other albums under their belts since 2003, Chatham County Line calls "IV" a "coming out party" because they no longer feel constrained to a certain niche by bluegrass instrumentation. They are a young, enthusiastic band that has grown and progressed into a signature acoustic groove. On their first few albums, these North Carolinians grabbed attention with a refreshing bluegrass-tinged sound anchored around guitarist Dave Wilson's emotive lead vocals and prolific songwriting. Strong and energetic contemporary folk-inspired material have always permeated their projects. "IV" takes them even further on an intriguing journey into Americana territory, and it's a solid statement for a young quartet that's also been fortunate to maintain its same four personnel for years. Besides Wilson, CCL continues to also feature John Teer (fiddle, mandolin, viola), Chandler Holt (banjo, guitar), and Greg Readling (bass, pedal steel, piano).

"IV" takes the band beyond a mere modernistic interpretation of bluegrass. The opener, "Chip of a Star" is clearly arranged as radio-friendly commercial fare with its repetitive banjo riff. Songs like "County Boy/City Boy" illustrate the dichotomy of the band's contemporary folk-rock urban approach overlaid with some bluegrass sensibilities. When I first heard "Let It Rock" and "I Got Worry," it even crossed my mind that these boys might be enticed into a full plunge into electric music with a drummer. Perhaps a plugged-in CCL album will be their next stop on their evolving path. In the meantime, balladry is still a large part of their bag with numbers like "The Carolinian," "Sweet Eviction," "One More Minute," and "Birmingham Jail." One of the three numbers penned by Holt, "Clear Blue Sky" is an instrumental showcase for the band's clarion bluegrass chops. And then there's Teer's "Paige," a classically inspired mandolin tune that emphasizes timing, tone and technique. I respect all confident new traditionalists who follow their own muse. I know CCL's vibrant and unrestrained genre-bending sound will continue building them a legion of fans. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now, 29 Palms, CA)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Original Carolina Piedmont Bluegrass, December 12, 2011

By 

H. Pace (SW Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IV (Audio CD)

IV has a little bit of everything. There is song storytelling at its best (Birmingham Jail), wistfulness at separation from a lover (The Carolinian, One More Minute), and an instrumental piece (Paige). The Carolinian, for one, I can listen to over and over again. It takes a very specific type of feeling, longing-over-a-woman-with-whom-you-experienced-love-at-first-sight-but-after-that-sight-never-saw-again-and-based-on-that-one-perfect-moment-you-feel-an-enduring-longing-for-and-regret-about-what-might-have-been, and expresses it perfectly and beautifully. It's these sorts of ballads that Chatham County Line does best. The weaker tracks are those that veer away from this strength.

Thankfully, Chatham County Line departs from the conventional bluegrass reliance on the banjo. We instead get treated to heavy doses of guitar, mandolin, and string bass (but sadly not the fiddle). Paige shows some serious skills on the mandolin.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, March 30, 2008

By 

J. D. JANSEN (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IV (Audio CD)

Chatham County Line takes a contemporary approach to bluegrass music, and make the music fresh as anything available today. Their latest collection contains a complete package of strong songwriting, instrumentation, and vocal harmonies. Sometimes less really can be more. The album starts off strong with the very catchy "Chip Of A Star", followed by the more traditional "The Carolina", upbeat "Let It Rock", and the pretty love ballad "One More Minute". "Birmingham Jail" is a bit odd. The song itself is wonderful, but they couldn't find a more recent subject for a topical song? The rest of the album continues the pattern with a couple of instrumentals (Clear Blue Sky/Paige) thrown in to show off their skills. Highly recommended for fans of alt-country/Americana.