Some Strange Country

Crooked Still | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Signature Sounds
• ASIN: B003CJXIS2
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,843 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Crooked Still's 4th album Some Strange Country is an elegant package of superbly crafted musical styles taking country/folk as the deep foundation and veering off into exhilarating and exciting directions. It's amazing music and it can hardly be called "bluegrass" or be locked into one genre. Where Ray Charles gave us Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music back in 1962, Crooked Still bring those expressions into the new millennium. Recorded during a long blizzard in rural Virginia, Some Strange Country expands on the band's unique blend of Appalachian-based string band styles combining with chamber music strings and pop sensibility, all supporting Aoife O'Donovan's sultry and sometimes spooky vocals. The album was produced by Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek) and features guest contributions of bluegrass legends Ricky Skaggs and Tim O'Brien and vocals from rising star Sarah Jarosz. There are several gorgeous original songs along side adaptations of tradition numbers from the likes of Dock Boggs and others plus an unlikely but playful cover of the Rolling Stones "You Got The Silver". With the release of Some Strange Country Crooked Still cements their status as one of the most innovative and successful bands in American Roots music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a must-have, July 20, 2010

By 

B. Morley "my green ears" (Waunakee, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Some Strange Country (Audio CD)

The first time that I heard any of Crooked Still's music was on an NPR broadcast on a Sunday afternoon. I was (fortunately) on a fairly long drive and therefore something of a captive audience. NPR only featured one of the songs on Some Strange Country, but it was enough to send me scrambling for information and music excerpts as soon as I got home. The CD was such a new release that my local library didn't have it. I was so captivated by the one song that I heard ("Half of What We Know") that I decided to buy the recording without hearing any of the other tracks. What an unexpected and rich audio experience! I've been the Crooked Still missionary in my community here in Wisconsin and several other people are now Crooked Still fans. There is some similarity (to my ear anyway) to Nickel Creek and even reminiscent of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, but those similarities are incidental and this CD is not about copying anyone's style. They are really worth a listen, and I admit to going on to purchase the other Crooked Still releases. Great music from a great new (to me) band, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Standing Ovations ...., May 22, 2010

By 

P. Jensen (Central NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Some Strange Country (Audio CD)

Saw this five piece ensemble for the first time last night, Friday, May 21st, 2010, at Carol Noonan's "Stone Mountain Arts Center" in Brownfield Maine (The Water is Wide: Inspired By the Stone Mountain Arts Center). What an enchanting evening! These musicians clearly love playing together - they also clearly love it when they have an audience to share their fun with. They were joined during several pieces by Sarah Jarosz (Song Up in Her Head) who is traveling with them as the front act for many performances. Their music was a delight to hear - a unique artistic beauty embedded in each composition - superb technical mastery from each instrument - and exceptional delivery in the performance. After such a great show I just had to see if they could somehow capture the magic of a great performance in a collection of recordings. I've downloaded the MP3 album and am listening as I write. This set of recordings delivers the same excitement and perfection they displayed on stage - their show last night earned them Three Standing Ovations from a packed house - the "Some Strange Country" sessions show the listener why. Get a copy of Some Strange Country - you'll be a fan in very short order.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crooked Still truly is still crooked, March 10, 2011

By 

Ralph Waldo Emerson "databaseking_1" (I am lost in Idhao) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Some Strange Country (Audio CD)

I listened and listened and listened and I loved what I heard. The music and arrangements are stellar. About the 20th time I listened I thought the singer's voice kind of reminded me of Alison Krause. And that is OK with me. The songs sound like Crooked Still.