Customer Reviews

Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only is Tony at his peak in many of these songs, but the musician line-up reads as a who's who of bluegrass. Ricky Skaggs, The Rice Brothers, JD Crowe, Jerry Douglass (of course), David Grisman, and more! So needless to say, there is some [kicking] music going on here.

But what is truly magical about this album is Tony's unabashed love for Gordon Lightfoot. Every word is heartfelt, every note holds an emotion. And this man can sing! And although the album is a collection of songs from his entire career, it holds together as a single unit well - a concept album with a twist. And while Tony's voice, guitar and overall talent are the shine on the album, Lightfoot's lyrics are its depth. Lightfoot sure knows how to write a song. And Tony knows how to perform them.

There's not a weak link in the chain, but keep an ear out for "Early Morning Rain", "Whispers of the North", and "Walls".

I have enjoyed listening to Gordon Lightfoot for decades and this tribute is the best I've heard. Who could do a better job than Tony Rice. Excellant vocals and guitar. Whispers of the North, Home from the Forest,16 Miles, Song for a Winters Night what a great selection of songs.

A friend of mine turned me on to Tony Rice with this CD. Before then, I didnt really consider myself a bluegrass fan (or a Gordon Lightfoot fan either) - just a fan of great guitar playing. Well, after hearing the first solo in the first song on the album and I was blown away - proving to me to always try and keep an open mind to new things. And after extended listenings, it is one of my favorite CDs. Rice is a virtuoso - these songs are filled with extremely expressive and creative playing...fluid yet restrained. It's fairly obvious that Rice could really let it rip if he wanted, but the fact that he holds back and finds just the right notes is somehow even more impressive. Lightfoot's naturally eloquent and simple lyrics provide a great framework for Rice's unique interpretations, while acknowledging the author's inspiration in the album title. Favorites include: "Go My Way," "Bitter Green," "Early Morning Rain," "Sixteen Miles," and "Whisper My Name." Don't be fooled by the benign title, this is a great CD by an excellent musician.

Tony Rice is an excellent guitar player who has an obvious respect for Gordon Lightfoot. His renditions of Lightfoot tunes are replete with riffs and runs not found in Lightfoot's original recordings. Although not the greatest singer in the world, Rice brings a unique sound to these old Lightfoot ballads. As a Lightfoot fan, I have found myself listening to this album over and over again. I think you'll like it too.

Tony moves away from the bluegrass sound on this album and the results are very satisfying. His versions of "Shadows" and "Bitter Green" are classics. The material is strong (all Gordon Lightfoot covers) and the singing and guitar-playing is vintage Tony Rice. If you want an introduction to Tony Rice's non-bluegrass material, you can't go wrong with this one...

A friend of mine turned me on to Tony Rice with this CD. Before then, I didnt really consider myself a bluegrass fan (or a Gordon Lightfoot fan either) - just a fan of great guitar playing. Needless to say, I was blown away - proved to me to always try and keep an open mind to new things. Rice is a virtuoso - these songs are filled with extremely expressive and creative playing...fluid yet restrained, you can tell he could really let it rip if he wanted, but the fact that he holds back and finds just the right notes is somehow even more impressive. Lightfoot's naturally eloquent and simple lyrics provide a great framework for Rice's unique interpretations, while acknowledging the author's inspiration in the album title. Favorites include: "Go My Way", "Bitter Green," "Early Morning Rain," "Sixteen Miles," and "Whisper My Name." Don't let the benign title fool you, this is a great CD by an excellent musician.

If you are a fan of Gordon Lightfoot, you will be very pleased at the approach Tony Rice takes with his music. I wish TR would do a second Gordon Lightfoot CD. Excellent.

Great sounds, excellent guitar work and musicians....plus you get 17 songs !! geat music from old masters.

Tony Rice is a guitar chameleon - applying his six-string Herringbone to every genre where an acoustic guitar can be used.

Vocal chord damage has left him with a voice that sounds like later years Miles Davis. (Harsh and raspy for those unfamiliar.) But in the decades before his voice changed Tony Rice had a rich, emotive voice - the kind that inspired Alison Krauss to try music, and the kind that always served as lead vocalist in bands while talented singers like Ricky Skaggs and Jimmy Gaudreau applied their heavenly harmony to the master's lead.

Rice and Skaggs and J.D.Crowe turned bluegrass vocals on their ear. Previously, Bluegrass singers used the Bill Monroe "high lonesome" sound, characterized by an unmistakeable twang as well as keening tones - reaching for and not always finding the right pitch. On Crowe's "The New South" Rice and company introduced vocals that were noticeably smoother and accessible for mainstream listeners, but still firmly rooted in the Bluegrass tradition. Following innovators like the Country Gentlemen, The New South searched for music outside of Appalachia and mining country. Rice frequently brought the work of Canadian Gordon Lightfoot to his projects, beginning with "Ten Degrees and Getting Colder" from that first New South recording.

Here Rounder collects a couple of decades of Rice/Lightfoot collaborations and travels the gamut from up-tempo foot-tappers like "Walls" and "Sixteen Miles" to contemplative Lightfoot ballads like "Early Morning Rain" and "Home From the Forest". Tony's version of Gordon's classic "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is a show-stopper.

A bluegrass-ballads tribute to songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Sounds scary, doesn't it? But superpicker Tony Rice has been slipping these songs onto his albums for years, and this collection is excellent -- he has a real feel for Lightfoot's style. Worth checking out!