Customer Reviews

Tanglewood Tree

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tanglewood Tree is exactly what folk music should be. Simple but haunting melodies and lyrics evoking the beauty, bumps and warts of the human experience. Instruments from the traditions that influenced the songs: banjo, mandalin, harmonica, dobro. Played clean and flawless. The beauty, mystery, and range of emotions evoked made ever more poignant by the death of Dave Carter in July of last year.

I don't think Dave Carter and I would have had much in common. From the hint of Eastern thought on this CD and information read, I gather he practiced an Eastern spiritual discipline far different from my evangelical Christian faith. His work speaks of life on the road in a carnival, of fortune tellers, gamblers, and even crocodile wrestling. But when I first heard "Mountain" played on a radio folk show here, and later as I listened to most of the songs on the CD, I could (uh-oh, here comes the R word), yes, relate to Dave, Tracey and their characters immediately. And one must admit, there aren't that many Buddhist country-style folk singers around. Maybe there was some magic in that mixture itself.

For my money, the most amazing song here is "Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover." This is the kind of tale you tell at camp around the campfire to scare the younger kids, or listen to for the edge of "horror" entertainment at Halloween. Sung in a 19th century gentile Southern parlance, a world away from these artists' lives, one might expect it to be a cover of a traditional ballad that Carter threw in the mix. But this is not public domain, it's from the versatile pen of a master; one who has clearly left us too soon.

back in 2001 i went to the colorado folks fest to see gillian welch, and dave & tracy were playing when i walked in. i'd never heard them or heard of them at the time; they were in the middle of 'when i go' and the line 'and i will crumble down uncountable in showers of crimson rubies' immediately caught my ear. over the next few songs i knew i was going to buy all of their albums immediately. this isn't music that took awhile to 'get used to' either. i liked almost every song as soon as i heard it. i still get chills listening to '41 thunderer'. dave died while i was overseas and i'll always regret not going to see them again before i left.

i've listened to all 3 of their albums extensively, and while my absolute favorite songs of theirs are on the other albums, i think 'tanglewood' is their most consistent effort taken as a whole. it would be my recommendation for someone who's looking for the best representative sample of their capabilities. i can't say enough good things about this duo. what a tragedy that they're no longer together.

& then got a new one. This is music that everyone from grown-ups through to my children (ages 5 and 10) can love. Personally I don't think TANGLEWOOD is quite as consistently amazing as DRUM HAT BUDDHA, but it does have some wonderful songs in it (the title cut is excellent & I think that THE MOUNTAIN is my personal favorite Dave & Tracy). As in Drum Hat Buddha we get a fun mix of folk/country/whatever with great lyrcs, two beautiful voices, and nice instrumental harmony, and it only reinforces how much we all lost when we lost Dave Carter. I hope that Grammer keeps on recording, it would only magnify the tragedy if we lost her voice too.

You're going to need one, because you won't want to take Dave and Tracy's CDs out. Honestly, what can I say that hasn't been said? This is some of the most beautiful and evocative music of any genre I've ever heard.

I had the honor to see Dave and Tracy in concert twice in Austin, TX. It's just the two of them onstage. Dave with his guitar and Tracy with her fiddle. You're lost for two hours and you don't want to go when it's over. This CD gives you the same feeling.

I simply cannot say enough about the magic of Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer--their music is quite simply unparalleled, and "Tanglewood Tree" is a very good example of why.

From the first, "Happytown" will hook you in and get your feet tapping and your head bobbing and, before you know it, you'll find your mouth trying to sing along to the deceptively simple melody but you'll find that you're having a hard time keeping up with the exquisitely complex lyrics--one of Dave Carter's most masterful songwriting traits. The guy sure fit a lot of multi-syllabic words into his songs and yet, they're so right, so absolutely right, it's almost otherworldly how he artfully transformed language into sheer, unveiled, spiritual expression. Yet it takes a few listens to really hear the words, because the melodies will distract you--in a very good way.

The title cut, "Tanglewood Tree" is one of my favorite songs ever written. This was a prime demonstration of Dave and Tracy's creative ambition--weaving together lyrics, overlapping melodies and layering really fine instrumentals to produce a song that fits so perfectly in every way you will think you already know the song the first time you hear it. And yet, it's nothing like anything you've hear before; there's nothing predictable about it, but it rings true and feels familiar nonetheless.

Joan Baez now performs "The Mountain" at her concerts and does a fine job, but I haven't heard anything that matches the sheer beauty of the original, sung by Tracy (it's the first time we hear Tracy sing lead--she sung only backup on their first album, "When I Go") and featuring a delicate, yet deeply colored instrumental arrangement. Every time I hear the song, I think of the rings which roll over water. "The Mountain" is about searching for meaning, for truth in spirituality. You may find that it lingers, floating along the air long after the song is over.

The rare thing about Tanglewood Tree is that there are simply no bad songs on it. You can listen to the entire album and, although there are some standout beauties, the music just flows easily from one track to the next. This cd has never been out of heavy rotation in my musical repertoire since I bought it in 2000. I'm pretty darn sure you'll find it hard to put away, too.

It's mostly just good folk music, in a varying Southern drawl. But then it has its special moments. Moments where the elaborate but uncommonly strong poetic metaphor in the lyrics and Tracy's pure sweet strings and wonderful voice just meet so perfectly that you're dragged into an otherwise seemingly prosaic love song or a quick mini-ballad and it is transformed into a memorable experience.

The title song is a great example. Take a tune that feels deceptively common, like an old pair of broken-in shoes. Then saturate it with lyrics of subtly twisting poetic intensity and delightful tiny surprises - and you come out with a unique experience... a sense of love that is not idealized but bittersweet, deceptive, sad, futile, yearning yet oddly distant, tangled, inescapable but never quite reaching its promise.

There are a few songs on this album that just didn't reach me at all, but there are songs here that reach the heart in spots it isn't normaly reached by popular music: like the bittersweet "Tanglewood Tree," the simply spiritual "The Mountain," the engagingly wicked "Cat-Eye Willie Claims his Lover," and the soulful and perverse "cowboy singer," and these make the album well worthwhile for me.

Like another reviewer, I wish I could give this six stars. I've listened to a lot of music in my life and when it comes down to it, nothing else I've heard in any genre fits my soul as well as the powerful combination of lyrics, vocals and instrumentals that work their magic in Tanglewood Tree and Drum Hat Buddha. When I Go was just marvelous--alternatingly fun, clever, wistful and sometimes all the same time. But Tanglewood Tree raises the bar. Tracy's gorgeous voice is used more, the songs are more complex and the sound is richer. This is their first recording "in studio".

The Mountain is one of my favorite songs of all time. Tanglewood Tree is a close second.

The amazing thing about these guys is how broad their appeal is. My 7 year old loves them (though there is one folk singer she likes better), so does my teenage sister and my 50-year-old parents. Frankly, I haven't yet met someone who heard their music and didn't find it appealing.

If music like this made it to the charts, I'd listen to the "top 40". Dave has a country-music twang to his voice, but the lyrics are exponentially more intelligent than the vast majority of country music songs. I learned through Dave and Tracy that it isn't the twang that bothers me in most country music, but the inanity of most country music songs. Even the most "country" of these songs is enjoyable, because the lyrics are so good and the music so well-done.

For as good as Tanglewood Tree is, Drum Hat Buddha is better. 7 stars?

Dave and Tracy are perhaps the most talented artists I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. "Tanglewood Tree" is an exceptional piece of art consisting of great melodies and beautiful songwriting that almost brings one to another world, while still maintaining the familiar features of our known world. The first track, Happytown is a fast-paced, fun, and yet still utterly beautiful piece that has the ability to take you into a dream world. It sets the tone for the album. Unfortunately, I can't quote it enough: "beat down, misdirected, cropped short and sized to fit / honey if we're still connected i could really use a hit / i'm not lookin for a key to open every door / just a pillow on your floor where we can sit." Tanglewood Tree," the title track, is a much slower, surreal piece about the nature of love. "Walking Away From Caroline" tells a beautiful story with Dave's exceptional songwriting skills: "Caroline puts Dylan on, she always sings along / she gets the words all wrong, she falls out of time / but it sounds just fine...... I'm walking away from Caroline" The songwriting never ceases to be mazing: "she's a one eyed witch, in a world gone blind." There is also an interesting nontraditional folk rap piece. Judge for yourself - if the Beatles can make "she loves you, yeah yeah yeah" sound good, put these already undescribable lyrics to wonderfully catchy folk melodies and relish the consequences.

It's a great album for any occasion, whether you want a little excitement or just want to relax before bed -- this album has the ability to be just what you want when you want it. Much of Dave's influence has been through transpersonal psychology, although there are obviously some slight folk and rock influences in there two- Bob Dylan, in particular.

The first time I heard Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, it was on a CD that a friend was playing. "What is that?" I was hooked immediately. I have seen them in concert and listened to all of their music and it only improves with every listen. Singing along is a tongue twister because Carter uses such vivid and unpredictable lyrics. He's a new age spritual folksinger with a partner who plays a mean fiddle and has a truly wonderful singing voice. Tanglewood tree is my favorite album. Listen to it.

I first heard of Dave Carter at the 2002 Philly Folk Fest, just monthes after Dave's death. Tracy Grammer took the stage that night in front of 5000 people and gave a wonderful and heartfelt farewell tribute to her friend and musical partner. By the 3rd note of the concert, I was hooked. I have listened to Tanglewood Tree, Drum Hat Budda and When I go, and can honsetly recomend all of them as engaging, touching, beautifuly written and performed folk music masterpieces.