Customer Reviews

Long List of Heartaches

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

 

 

These boys do a right fine job and are definitely worth following. It's apparent that they are shooting for a distinctive style, something above the usual and overdone fare of most Bluegrassers today.

The selections on this CD are well balanced in that they keep light listeners interested while also providing keen observers a good showcase for their diverse talent. Close study reveals that Terry Eldredge and Jamie Johnson both make for outstanding lead singers. The trios are as expected---Good, but this reviewer finds the duets to be the most entertaining. Terry and Jamie have obviously worked hard to match one another's phrasings and slurs, so much so that they leave the listener yearning for more.

As for the boy's picking abilities, here are some random thoughts:

->Unbelievable as it may be, the rhythm guitar is actually playing RHYTHM---as opposed to a stream of punchy syncopated nerve-racking stabs that MIMIC rhythm. KUDOS.
->Having one good lead singer in a band is a plus, but two is nearly unbeatable. Let Jamie sing more, please.
->The fiddle is charmingly understated but excellent. Thanks Guys.

If any criticism is worthy of mention, it would be this: LOSE THE COVERS.
Flatt, Scruggs, and Monroe songs, notwithstanding their importance, have been done to death, to the point that the carcass no longer attracts the skinniest of vultures. As for the Osborne Brothers' signature songs, there's no way under the sun that the boys will ever come close to reaching the peak of that mountain, much less Base Camp. Replace "Roll Muddy River" with another "Long List of Heartaches"---THAT'S where the money is.

If the Grascals continue striving for better recordings, that is, sharpen their abilities, select their material more carefully, and make their sound palatable for more folks, then success is just around the corner for them.

Whether in concert or the studio the Grascals have set the bar high for contemporary bluegrass bands! The music is real bluegrass not so diluted with other influences as to be "no-grass" The guest stars,George Jones, add to the music rather than just add a name to the cd for selling power.
The playing is top notch and the vocals are perfect in harmony and pitch. These guys can sing.
Highly recommended.

This doesn't sound like it is their first album. Great harmonies and really good musicianship. Well worth the price.

Wonderful CD! I saw The Grascals open for Dolly Parton, and what a show! Very talented vocals and instrumentals. This CD contains new and classic material. I hope these guys are around for years to come. I love the classic, Roll Muddy River.

I saw the Grascals in Owensboro KY while they were still "up & coming" and am not surprised by their success. They do a great job of maintaining the tradition that is traditional Bluegrass and their Long List of Heartaches CD is a great example of just that. There is not a disappointing track on the CD and anyone who values Bluegrass as it was meant to be will love this one.

Every song on the CD has potential to be a hit! My 12 yr old loves this CD.

Playing Time - 40:40 -- The Grascals are on the fast track. In 2005, their debut CD became one of my top ten favorites of the year. Besides great music, the band is a cohesive and collaborative unit built around six talented friends who share common goals. The group members have had previous professional experience with The Osborne Brothers, Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time, Dolly Parton's Blue-niques, The Sidemen, and many country music superstars. You won't find much better musicians with consummate bluegrass (and country) sensibilities than The Grascals' Terry Eldredge (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle), David Talbot (banjo, vocals), Jamie Johnson (guitar, vocals), Danny Roberts (mandolin) and Terry Smith (bass). Dolly Parton invited The Grascals to open all concerts on her Hello, I'm Dolly tour in the fall of 2004, as well as to join other musicians backing up Dolly each evening. Guests on "Long List of Heartaches" include George Jones, Dierks Bentley, Steve Wariner, The Jordanaires, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Lloyd Green, Bob Mater, and Kent Wells.

These six guys are superior instrumentalists, and every solo resonates with some hot licks. Crisp, clean rhythm guitar and deep resonating bass fill out their sound. The Grascals don't push the envelope too far from conventional traditional bluegrass orthodoxy when they take on more standard fare. As a definite strength, these bluegrass phenoms know exactly what a song requires. Eldredge delivers his lead vocals in a gutsy, high-lonesome manner. The Grascals simply have good taste when it comes to arrangements, techniques employed, and musicianship.

The Grascals' contemporary material allows them to take more risks. Some light percussion (Tom Roady) and pedal steel (Lloyd Green) embellishes track 3, "You Don't Have Very Far To Go," a song of hurt written by Merle Haggard and Red Simpson. The opening up-tempo cut of "Home" has no chorus but incorporates an interesting harmonization of the word "home" each time it comes around at the end of verses. If you're a "master of disaster," then you'll end up right at the top of the catchy "Long List of Heartaches." Paying respect to the seminal influences of Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt, The Grascals tear up "Will You Be Loving Another Man?" They keep that one at full throttle. Dierks Bentley shares verses with Terry Eldredge as they express the things they're really best at are "Being Me" as they have a little angel and devil haunting them. Hey, I never knew that "lor dee dee" is really just hillbilly for "c'la vie." (that's life!) The only instrumental on the album, "Cut Your Wheels" has a nice descending chordal run, but I think a guest resophonic guitarist would've really helped embellish this one.

"My Night to Howl" was first presented years ago by the Boys From Indiana, and some exciting mandolin picking is about the only redeeming element of this song that is mostly filler. "Hoedown In Motown" (written by Steve Wariner and Harley Allen) re-establishes the groove with a recipe for partying up north with southern sun, sweet tea, and fried chicken. These are the kind of hooky songs that bluegrass bands need to find to bring expressive variety to their sets. "Don't Tell Mama" is a fantastic ballad about the perils of drinking and driving as a young man dying says, "I can't leave this world with mama thinking, I met the Lord with whiskey on my breath." If you think work's got you down and stressed, then cue up "Hard Times," to hear about a guy so tired of working that he's ready to drink himself to death. They close the set with an inspirational slow ¾-time gospel number, "Did You Forget God Today?" that is first pew.

From traditional to contemporary, The Grascals certainly don't disappoint us with their broad selection of material that will appeal to many tastes. In fact, there are no-holds-barred vocals, tasteful instrumental work, and an overall sound that jumps out of the speakers. I personally enjoy an eclectic set of bluegrass with a few countryish and gospel twists, and that's why I dig this masterful band. The Grascals are very discriminating, well-rounded and resourceful performers with a high degree of showmanship and entertainment value. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

This is the best Bluegrass I have heard in a long, long time. I can't wait for their next CD