Customer Reviews

Shadows on the Ground

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

 

 

I tuned into Kieran Kane after Emmylou covered a couple of his tunes which took me to the wonderful O'Kanes and then Kieran's fabulous solo career starting with that classic 1993 CD on Atlantic that had "That's What You Do (When You Love Somebody)" to his "Dead Rekoning" CD with the classic "Dirty Little Town" to his French lyric songs such as "J'aime Faire L'Amour" from "Six Days No Sun" to the great "Four Questions" from "The Blue Chair." This CD is a great departure.

"Shadows on the Ground" picks up on the O Brother soundtrack vein with acoustic bluegrass, Kane's most traditional recording. The opener "Ain't Holdin' Back" sounds most like his past work with that plucky guitar and bouncing rhythms. A.P. Carter's "Will You Miss Me" is given a strong reading with Harry Stinson & Tammy Rogers giving great bluegrass harmonies. The title track features Mike Henderson's mandolin on a lovely midtempo toe tapper, "Truth is always truth; stone is always stone; we all live & die...but not alone." The Kane-penned "Mountain Song" sounds like it just came down the mountains of West Virginia. "One Raindrop" with its country flare sounds like a renegade Hank Williams track, "One raindrop fell into the river, that's all that heaven would allow, one raindrop fell into the river, it's a different river now." "The Baby Keeps Cryin'" is a slow melancholy creeper. "Shut Up" beats like an Indian tom-tom. "Ooh you can't push too hard, you gotta let it grow," Kieran croons on the country soft shoe "Better When You Take It Slow." "Handsome Molly" is a seafaring ballad about a sailor's pretty girl. "June Carter (Sure Can Sing)" is a great country tribute to this matriarch of the Carter-Cash clan. The CD concludes with the sweet soft folk tune "Harmony" with co-writer Claudia Scott's pretty vocals. Kane steps into the traditional vein with "Shadows on the Ground" which will sound great to all who love the O Brother style recordings. Enjoy!

I just picked up Kieran Kane's new CD Shadows on the Ground. This album is a great mix of folk and country. My favorite tracks so far are "Will You Miss Me", and "June Carter (Sure Can Sing)", co-written with John Hadley and Kevin Welch. The lyrics are well crafted, and even humorous in the tribute "June Carter": "In a world of country costume jewelry, she's a diamond ring. June Carter sure can sing." I particularly enjoy Kieran's great rendition of "Handsome Molly", a traditional Irish tune.

Any fan of singer-songwriters, or honest country will appreciate this album.
Highly Recommended

Kane is an independent record label owner who tends to do what he wants to with his idiosyncratic albums. This is a really purty, folk-flavored country outing, with a few songs in the middle that drift a bit, but a nice, strong set at the start, including an excellent version of the Carter Family oldie, "Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone." This is followed up with a charming little tribute tune, "June Carter Sure Can Sing." Other highlights include a pair of sweet original tunes, the delicate duet, "Harmony," and the finely crafted, rather poetic "One Raindrop," which both definitely make this a disc keeper. Recommended!

I got to work on this album and it was as fun to record as it is to listen to. All of the performances were live with NO fixes (the only album I've ever worked on that was recorded like this). Its a bluegrassy album that in playing for my friends several have mentioned a kinda Grateful Dead groove that just keeps trucking and carries you right along with it.
Everyone at the session had a great time and changed instruments from song to song to whatever was needed, I think that feeling of friends playing together was really captured on this CD. Not many CDs that I work on end up in my CD player a year after it's finished, but I think this one will be one of my favorites for a long time.

I found out about this album through a friend and I'm glad I did. This is the best bluegrass I've heard since O' Brother. This cd is filled with old timey songs and singers that bring back the historic value of Appalachian music. I should know, I'm from there. The songs are very soothing and relaxing and there is even a tribute to June Carter from the Carter family on there. The coolest part is that in the liner notes, it explains that the cd was recorded live with no overdubs! How cool is that. If you like Ralph Stanley or just bluegrass in general, you gotta check this out!

I was lucky enough to receive a pre-release copy of this stunning recording because I lived two doors down from Kieran Kane here in Nashville at the time it was made. There are many reasons to love this CD, as the other reviewers have noted, but listening to "One Tear" alone may change your world view. Buy a copy while they are still available.

I found out about this album through a friend and I'm glad I did. This is the best bluegrass I've heard since O' Brother. This cd is filled with old timey songs and singers that bring back the historic value of Appalachian music. I should know, I'm from there. The songs are very soothing and relaxing and there is even a tribute to June Carter from the Carter family on there. The coolest part is that in the liner notes, it explains that the cd was recorded live with no overdubs! How cool is that. If you like Ralph Stanley or just bluegrass in general, you gotta check this out!