Customer Reviews

Last Of Their Kind

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Just since 1998, we have lost many major figures in the wonderful musical legacy that is the Carter Family. The deaths of Helen, Anita and June Carter have completely erased any chance we may ever have of hearing anything that sounds close to The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle. Fortunately, Dualtone records have taken an interest in the Carter Family. Sadly, they did so just in time.

Joe Carter, the extremely talented but little recorded son of Sara and A. P. Carter died not too long after the realease of this CD. He is joined by his sister, Janette. She is the last surviving "second generation" member of the Carter Family. Her talent as a songwriter and a vocalist shines in this collection.

Dualtone did a great job by letting Janette and Joe perform as they have for years, with simple arrangements and sparse insturmentation. The effect is simply breathtaking. This CD contains a mixture of Carter Family songs, along with some original compositions by Janette and Joe.

If you want to know what country music is all about, you should give this CD a listen. Janette's writing, in particular, is very similar to that of her father's. Her songs contain rich, vivid imagery that connects the listener to things buried deeply in their soul. The songs are about memories, love, tragedy and hope. Listening to the CD is a bit like opening a treasured box of forgotten momentos found in your grandparents' home or turning the pages of the family bible and finding a delicate, pressed rose.

We owe Dualtone a debt of gratitude for having the good sense to preserve this wonderful chapter in the history of the Carter Family. It is difficult to select favorite cuts from the album because they are all gems! Some of the good ones include Joe's hilarious "Pole it Reba." Janette's "Close of a Day" is heartbreaking and beautiful. Adding Janette's son, Dale, to "Poor Orphan Child" gives hope that the Carter Family legacy will continue for years to come. He does an excellent job blending his lead vocal with Joe and Janette's harmony.

One more thing...If you are even a casual listener to country music, you should travel to the Carter Family Fold to hear some of the music live. It is like a visit to the hold land of American country, folk and bluegrass music. Once you experience the Fold and the Carter estate, you'll find that the music sounds even better and that the lyrics become even more meaningful.

This album is not for the casual country or old-time music fan. It is for the dyed-in-the-wool Carter Family devotee who listens to their 1927-1934 cuts on his media player while he catches up with e-mail, balances the books, etc. It can be best enjoyed by one who has made the pilgrimage to Maces Springs and listened to Joe and Janette on the slope of Clinch Mountain. Such a listener will enjoy the mellow bass of Joe Carter -- not because he's polished, but because he's A.P. Carter's son. Likewise the aged sweet voice of Janette -- her voice breaks, but the sadness and acceptance of her fading years comes through in "A Few More Years," "Living With Memories," and "If Only I Were a Child Again."

The best cut on the album is "The Poor Orphan Child." A.P. Carter's grandson, Dale Jett, sings the smooth, rich lead, with his Uncle Joe "bassin' in" in A.P. Carter's style, and mom Janette harmonizing on the chorus. The bare bones acoustic flat top accompaniment is perfect.

One might question certain production decisions, e.g. the inclusion of Joe's "Through the Eyes of the Eagle" and "Pole it, Reba," and you want to lean forward and help Janette get through "Kitty Waltz," but the album is an enjoyable and sentimental remembrance of the Carters' style of music. It was produced by Johnny Cash's son, who is the grandson of Maybelle Carter.

If you're seeking outstanding talent or creative genius, keep looking. If you soaked up a love for the Carter Family from your youth, and cherish memories of nights at the Carter Fold, you'll enjoy this album.

This is a very sweet CD, and a "must have" for lovers of old-time music. With Janette now gone, her live voice will be heard no more. This collection preserves songs of yester-year. Their pure and unpolished voices are refreshing.

I'll tell you.... There's a difference between being plain and being just plain bad. The original Carter family had a 'plainness' about their singing style that authenticated them as true backwoods Americana. But these two people... Man. There's only one person who's singing sounds worse than Janette Carter's did on those 'On the Border' discs (when she was a teenager)..... That would be Janette Carter on THIS disc when she became an old woman. Dreadful stuff. And old Joe isn't much better. He can hardly carry a tune. Irrefutable proof that just because someone CAN do a thing doesn't necessarily mean that they should. Stick with the original threesome. That's as far into the realm of genius as 'plain' is ever going to get. Plain bad isn't going to leave this page, unless you do something foolish...

Beware!! This CD consits entirely of suckage, and other equally horrrible things!!! Help Me!!!