Customer Reviews

Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt

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

 

 

This EP is the best duets album I have heard in a while. Merrit's sweet soprano soars in contrast to John Howie Jr's graveled barritone. It feels wonderfully old, just completely distinct should be on any country music fans list.
They open with a tender song of their own, "If Only You Were Mine." This turns easily into the loved and lost cover of Dolly PArton ad Porter Wagoner's "Just Soemone I Used To Know." Pedal Steel takes fron stage for a dramatic and breathtaking duet of "We Had It All." "Suppose Tongith Would Be Our Last" find them exploring some of their prettiest harmonies. Theis segues nicely into their own "Counting the Hours" a tender track in which each side of a relationship ponders a break up with "I don't remember how we left it/ thought you were going to call me in a while." Next they take another solo song, Charlie Pride's "I'm So Afraid of Losing You Again" and turn it into a stunning duet. The album closes on it's best track, a simply haunting rendition of "One Paper Kid"
This cd is a throwback to the days when two artists would sit down together in a studio with a band and simply record an album rather than record vocals on different sides of the glode and send them to a producer. Replete with twang and those spine tingling harmonies no one in the mainstream seems to come close to anymore this album seems a tribute to those lost gone duets of old.

My only complaint is the album is too short! Tift Merritt's lilting country voice is the perfect complement to John Howie's gruffly penetrating retro sound.

We saw Tift Merritt and the Carbines (her band) perform this past weekend in Chapel Hill, NC. I had never heard her before, so I bought this Cd and haven't stopped listening yet. She sounds like an angel from another generation, and she is a pleasure to watch. She plays acoustic/electric guitar, harmonica and the piano once or twice, not to mention the songs she writes. If only their CD was out yet - but I hear they've signed up with a record company, so maybe this summer...

This is good old country music as it should be!
I will recomend it to all of you out there who like country ballads!

A great pairing. Reminds me a bit of Waylon Jenning's world weary vocals conjoined with Emmy Lou Harris. Favorite tracks are Counting the hours (it doesn't get much better than this!) and One Paper Kid.

This cd kinda surprised me in that it gets a little too close to contemporary country. There are some downright sappy moments. I think fans of radio country will enjoy it.

That said, there is nothing sappy or disappointing about the first two tracks. If Only You Were Mine is one of two originals and has got to be one of my favorite country songs. The cover of Just Someone I Used to Know is great as well.

After that the country ballads creep in and the album isn't nearly as effective in my opinion.