The Ring

Terri Hendrix | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 4, 2002)
• Original Release Date: June 4, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wilory Records
• ASIN: B000068MGW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,906 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Since 1996 Hendrix has combined musical smarts and business savvy to forge one of the industry’s most impressive independent careers, steadfastly managing her career and running her own label, Wilory Records.Her work has been celebrated in top-tier publications like Billboard, Texas Monthly, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, New York’s Village Voice, and England’s Mojo; she’s contributed well-received sets at the nation’s premier folk festivals, Newport and Kerrville included; she’s been honored consistently with songwriting and performing awards in Austin and San Antonio; and she’s won the admiration and commitment of Lloyd Maines, renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer, who’s been Hendrix’s musical partner! since 1997. All this thanks to a tireless work ethic and a catalog of songs alternately joyous and bittersweet, fashioned out of a wonderfully eclectic mix of styles—folk, country, pop, rock, Tex-Mex, bluegrass, and jazz—spanning the breadth of Texas music.

Hendrix now lives in San Marcos, Texas, located in the Texas Hill Country halfway between Austin and San Antonio. She's particularly fond of her two mutts, Jessie and Carolynn; The Simpsons; chili con queso and salty chips; writing, performing, and traveling; collecting rare, vintage overalls; Nubian goats; and her music collection, of which Ella Fitzgerald is her favorite.

Product Description

"Don’t rush me," Hendrix asserts on her unflinching new CD. "I’m coming along." Judging from the sound of it, Hendrix has arrived, with a collection of songs driven by a survivor’s grace and an optimist’s soul. An album of extraordinary depth and stylistic diversity, The Ring serves as an apt—and for some unexpected—culmination to the first six years of Hendrix’s journey as an independent artist. From the opening notes of "Goodbye Charlie Brown," the songs here affirm Hendrix’s revered strengths as a writer and performer while serving notice that times have changed. On her last studio album, the eloquent Places In Between (2000), Hendrix struck a reflective chord that suited the often highly personal subject matter; on The Ring, she takes a considerable step forward: her ambitious vocals, melodic instincts, and expertly crafted songs are unified as never before, supporting the album’s clearly delineated focus and showcasing a voice at once mature and unabashedly honest, confident and courageous. "I’ve been who I am, and I’ve been who I’m not," Hendrix sings. "Both have led me to find my own point of view." Along the way, she’s discovered much about herself—she’s wiser now; stronger too—and she’s gained an appreciation for the enduring truths that anchor us: the need for love; family and friends; and undying faith—in oneself, in each other, in the universe. On The Ring, Hendrix reminds us that the cycles of our lives lead us into territories both familiar and unknown, changing us in unexpected ways, forcing us to consider and reconsider our place in a shifting universe. And yet, in its permanence, the ring reminds us that even as we grow and change, with grace, we’ll ultimately arrive back where we started—knowing the place, perhaps, for the first time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fact Is, August 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ring (Audio CD)

I generally ignore others' claims about an album "never leaving my CD player," because my tastes and moods change too often for that kind of thing. But "The Ring" is an exception. I've spun this thing every day since it's release in early June, and figure I'll continue to do so for a long while. As a fan of Hendrix's music, I came to this with no small amount of bias, but the leap in maturity and songwriting on this album still impresses me. Hendrix's style has often been summed up (somewhat lazily) as sunny and effervescent, and there's enough here to keep fans of that stuff happy, but it's the darker, more introspective songs that really hit home: "Spinning Off," "Nightwolves," "I Found the Lions" -- these aren't happy-go-lucky folk-pop songs. Even the bouncier tunes -- the scat-happy "From Another Planet" and catchy "Consider Me" -- are far more spice than sugar, if you can wipe the smile off your face long enough to pay attention to the lyrics. Add the moving and eloquent title track--a testament to the endurance of love-- along with Hendrix's stubborn, determined mission statement on "The Fact Is," and you've got one of the smartest and most enjoyable singer-songwriter albums of the year--or any year, for that matter.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, October 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ring (Audio CD)

A decent album. It repeats many of the same themes from other Hendrix albums. She seems more adventurous musically. Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great CD, June 4, 2002

By 

Charles M. Brotton (Fort Smith, Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ring (Audio CD)

I bought this CD a couple of weeks ago @ her show on the riverfront in Fort Smith, Arkansas (just to explain how I got hold of it before the official release date).From what I gather,
I think Terri is holding off a bit on the release because Fathers day is so close--the title track is a tribute to her father.
This is, in general, a strong album--a more polished product than her earlier albums (which are also excellent), in short, quite highly recommended for anybody who loves the "Austin sound." Lloyd Maines provides excellent support, as always.