Sarah Lee Guthrie

Sarah Lee Guthrie | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 1, 2001)
• Original Release Date: February 1, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rising Son Records
• ASIN: B0002M730Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,154 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She lives up to the family name, April 8, 2006

By 

Vito Minerva (Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarah Lee Guthrie (Audio CD)

The (relative) success of Exploration made many (including me) discover this little gem of an album, otherwise lost in the sea of indie records churned out every year. (In this case it was 2001).

When I put this record on the player, I really don't skip a song; the album is varied and short enough - it clocks in at 38 mins - to be played from start to finish. It opens with a Hoyt Axton cover, probably the best thing in the album thanks to the perfect blending of piano, harmonica, pedal steel and Sarah's vocals. By the way, piano and harmonica are courtesy of brother Abe and father Arlo, respectively.

The second track is a declaration of love and gratitude to her parents ("If you only knew/How much I looked up to you/You're the only reason/The reason I came through"), with brother Abe accompanying her at the piano.

The third track is maybe the weakest of the album. It's just a single sentence ("I'm filled up like a bucket of rain") repeated for over a minute over the background noise of an incoming storm.

Tracks 4 and 5 are somehow similar, with a New Age feeling in both. In particular, "River", with its slow Celtic-tinged music and short sentences repeated over and over, is almost trance-inducing. New Age terms are also abundant, like "sadhu" and "swami" which denote Hindu religious teachers and holy men, respectively. Perhaps does the title refer to the river Ganges?

"Never In One Place" is a nice song with accompaniment of acoustic guitars and mandolin and an odd effect on Sarah's voice (it seems to come out of a loudspeaker). It is followed by a nice instrumental tarantelle.

"Lazy Tongue" is the catchiest song in the album; it's a pop number enriched by the solos of trumpet and saxophone. (Strange enough, Sarah vocals fade towards the end, as if the song is going to finish and then suddenly the volume rises again. I don't know whether this effect is intentional or not).

"Johnny By My Side" is another declaration of love, this time to her husband, while "Love We Never Had" is an uptempo country song spiced up by dobro and banjo. Then follows a rockabilly number ("World Turns In G") and in the final track all the musicians join together to play
an a cappella gospel.

In all, if you loved Exploration or have a penchant for folk and country music sung by women, you'll like this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful and haunting, March 15, 2006

By 

L. Jacobson "book mama" (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarah Lee Guthrie (Audio CD)

This is a beautiful album full. Sarah Lee has a spectacular voice, full of feeling. We bought this cd after seeing her in concert and really enjoy it. Others have called it uneven, but I find it wonderful.

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising Debut CD By Sarah Lee Guthrie, September 1, 2005

By 

R. Dripps (Glen Carbon, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarah Lee Guthrie (Audio CD)

Sarah Lee Guthrie's debut CD showcases her authentic folk voice on uneven material. This CD is a great piece of information for fans who already have "Exploration," her more focused collaboration with husband Johnny Irion.