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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not a weak track in the lot,
By
This review is from: Maria Muldaur (Audio CD)
This is one of the very finest albums from the era that followed the great folk scare of the sixties. Maria Muldaur (nee D'Amato) had left the Kweskin Jug Band and was offered a shot at a solo album; this stunning collection was her debut. The album's biggest hit -- "Midnight at the Oasis," by Maria's pal David Nichtern -- wasn't originally on the list; it was added when the album turned out to need one more song. Good thing: Amos Garrett's guitar solo alone is worth the price of the entire CD.And actually, so is every performance on every song; there's not a weak song, a weak arrangement, or a weak performance anywhere on it, and there aren't too many albums from _any_ era that you can say that about. Even "Long Hard Climb," which it seems every early-1970s singer tried to do at one time or another, comes off well here; Maria is probably the only artist whose recording of this tune stands up well over time. And that's the (comparatively) low point of the album. The high point, in my own opinion anyway, is Wendy Waldman's "Mad Mad Me," which closes the album with what may be the most hauntingly gorgeous two minutes and fifty-three seconds ever recorded. But other tunes come mighty close: for example Mac Rebennack's sly "Three Dollar Bill" and Dolly Parton's sweet "My Tennessee Mountain Home." And listing the highlights of the individual instrumental performances would take up more room than I'm allotted here; Maria has always surrounded herself with the very best of musicians, and these are the best of the best. (Longtime readers of liner notes will recognize some familiar names: Bonnie Raitt's bassist Freebo; Paul Prestopino; a pre-"Thank You for Being a Friend" Andrew Gold; Bill Keith; the ubiquitious "Strings arranged by Nick deCaro." And lots more.) Maria herself is, of course, the major highlight. Her vocal gifts defy expression in a short review; let it suffice to say that based on her voice alone, you'd (correctly) assume she was sexy as hell even if you had never seen her picture. And here's a paradox: her vocal performance is at its peak on this album, and yet she only got better after this. Go figger. And make no mistake, she _is_ still turning out fine albums. But those of us who were listening to her in the early 1970s will always have a soft spot for this one. Great stuff.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quality music defies classification,
By
This review is from: Maria Muldaur (Audio CD)
This album has elements of country, folk, bluegrass, blues, pop, rock, even vaudeville, but it is ludicrous to attempt to classify this album as a whole. Somehow, all the disparate elements blend well to make for a cohesive album.The album begins with a stunning cover of a Jimmie Rodgers (the singing brakeman) classic, Any old time. This is followed by the wonderfully evocative Midnight at the oasis, the song for which Maria is still best remembered for. The third track is Maria's inspired bluegrass cover of My Tennessee mountain home. As Dolly is my favorite singer, it is hard me to say that Maria's version is superior, but it is. I've heard plenty of covers of Dolly's songs, but this is the best I've come across. Recently, it became the title track of a UK bluegrass compilation and blended in perfectly. Among the other gems are a cover of Kate McGarrigle's The work song and the amusing Don't you make me high - but every track here is superb. At least, that's what I think, but my musical tastes are as eclectic as Maria's. If you only like one genre of music, you may find something here to enjoy, but you will probably not enjoy it all. For those with eclectic tastes, this is a masterpiece.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's a lot more to this album than Midnight At The Oasis,
By slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Maria Muldaur (Audio CD)
If I could get my money back for every lousy album I bought in the seventies, I'd be rich. But somehow I missed this one. My mistake.The only song I'd ever heard Maria Muldaur sing was Midnight At The Oasis, which is, let's face it, a silly song, but a catchy one - and Muldaur's voice on it is unique and wonderful. But the song was so quirky that I wrote Muldaur off as one more lucky one hit wonder. Wrong! This is an absolutely wonderful album from beginning to end. Her versions of Dolly Parton's "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and Kate McGarrigle's "Work Song" come across in an honest, downhome voice that reminds me of Iris Dement. On both "Don't You Make Me High (Don't You Feel My Leg)" and "Three Dollar Bill," Muldaur is sly, sexy and bluesy, and Dr. John's New Orleans style piano and the horn arrangements play off her voice pefectly. Great songs, great voice, great arrangements - what more could you ask for? Those are my favorite songs on the album, but the rest are almost as good. If you have fond memories of "Midnight At The Oasis," buy this album immediately. This is one of those rare, rare albums where the rest of the songs are even better than the big hit.
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