Customer Reviews

Underneath The Same Moon

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

 

 

Someday Finally Arrived

Ebay--Not only is it a place to auction off potato chips that look like Elvis and dust kittens that are evolving into breathing organisms, it's a harbinger of future trends. Case in point: copies of John Rich's previously unreleased solo debut CD "Underneath The Same Moon" inspired bidding wars among fans and sold for sometimes exorbitant amounts of money. While Rich was riding a wave of popularity as half of the duo Big & Rich, a number cruncher at BNA Records in Nashville was hiding in a cubicle, gnashing his teeth and thinking "Maybe we SHOULD release this after all."

Obviously BNA is trying to capitalize on Rich's current status as The Man in Nashville. They showed an incredible lack of foresight in not releasing this album when it was first recorded, but a certain segment of the music industry in Nashville is not known for forward thinking. Nonetheless, fans of Big & Rich will be delighted with this CD which I call "John Rich 101".

Not since Vince Gill burst on the scene with his angelic voice and devilish twinkle in his eye have we encountered a versatile artist like Rich. "Underneath The Same Moon" is unapologetically romantic with songs such as "Someday" and "I Love You Like That." "Underneath The Same Moon" is so melancholy, one can almost see Evanescence performing it. The sole song on the CD that was NOT written by Rich, "When You Love Someone," is achingly emotional. Those who are only familiar with the "Cowboy Stevie Wonder" personality of Rich are in for a surprise. The love songs here are the precursors to today's hits "Like We Never Loved At All" by Faith Hill and "Why" by Jason Aldean. Rich's skill at plucking heartstrings as well as guitar strings has grown immensely.

Of the more up-tempo songs, "She Brings The Lightnin' Down" is perhaps the best cut of all. Rich's protégé Shannon Brown included this track on her debut album "Cornfed" but "Lightnin'" is a man's song, and nobody performs it better. "Old Blue Mountain" with guest vocals by future star Sara Evans is a treat for the ears as well. "New Jerusalem" totally astonished me the first time I heard it, and it continues to leave me in awe even after listening to it repeatedly. The true test of a singer's gift is whether he or she can pull off a cappella. One can hardly believe there is a singer on this planet that John Rich could NOT harmonize with.

As a debut album, "Underneath The Same Moon" has its weak moments, as can be expected. Granted, reviewing a previously unreleased album is difficult when one is familiar with the current style of an artist. When the artist is a fearless risk-taker such as Rich, it's not fair to compare "UTSM" with "Horse of A Different Color" or "Comin' To Your City." He has changed and grown as a songwriter and a musician, but "Underneath the Same Moon" definitely has a place of favor in my CD rack. It makes me wonder how much other great material lies tucked away in a dusty record company vault, how much memorable music is denied to our ears, how much we as country music fans are missing. Perhaps the release of this CD means "Someday" will come for other deserving artists as well.

In between his success as a member of the '90s country group Lonestar and his riotous reinvention as half of Big & Rich, vocalist/songwriter John Rich cut this solo album in Nashville, and promptly had it shelved by his record company. Though he'd already met and was writing with "Big" Kenny Alphin (whose own solo debut was shelved the same year, and also recently issued), his music was still anchored more to the contemporary sounds of late-90s Nashville than to the rowdier work he'd pioneer with the Muzik Mafia.

Highlights include the Celtic-flavored waltz-time "Old Blue Mountain," featuring bagpipe and a strong harmony vocal from Sara Evans, the funky "She Brings the Lightnin' Down," the redemptive mid-tempo rocker "Something To Believe In," and the Fairfield Four backed gospel of "New Jerusalem." The album includes several finely crafted ballads, including Rich & Alphin's "I Love You Like That" and Gretchen Peters and Bryan Adams' "When You Love Someone."

Having just broken from Lonestar, and yet fully settled in with his new crew, Rich can be heard searching out a new identity. He'd yet to fully clear the then-contemporary sound of Nashville from his pen or voice, nor had he freed himself from the strictures of Music City's production choices. Still, he showed himself to be a compelling songwriter and singer, and held his own as a solo performer. Fans of his work with Lonestar and fans of his recent work with Big & Rich will each enjoy in the opportunity to hear these "'tween" recordings. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

I got this CD based on John Rich's reputation alone. I knew of many of the songs he had written over the years for various artists as well as his reputation in "Big & Rich". I was a little skeptical at first, but after I listened, I knew it was a purchase I do not regret.

Here are my quick thoughts on some of the tracks.

~ I pray for you...this song has more recently been recorded with Big & Rich and I like both versions.

~ Underneath the Same Moon...the title track and a beautiful song about love and separation and knowing that no matter where you are, if you look up at the moon, your soul mate is underneath that same moon.

~ Old Blue Mountain has guest vocals by singer Sara Evans, although at the time this was recorded, she was not the big name that she is now. A very beautiful song. Love the bagpipes!!

~ She Brings the Lightnin Down...WOW....Shannon Brown also recorded this, but she cannot even begin to sing it as well as John does. This is hands down one of my favorite songs on the CD. It's got a great funky beat that just makes you want to jump in and sing along.

~ When You Love Someone...originally recorded by Bryan Adams, and the only song on this CD that John did not have a hand in writing. A really great version of the song.

~ New Jerusalem...wow. An awesome song. Gospel. Acappella...what more can you want?

I highly recommend this CD to everyone, and have been playing it for my friends because I feel very strongly in it.

i agree with the first review, the cd is awesome! she brings the lightnin' down and new jerusalem are also my faves, but that's only because i love fast songs! the slower ones are also fantastic... steel bridges and old blue mountain stand out in my mind. i pray for you is, of course, an amazing song. any version of it is amazing, but i tend to think of john's as the "original."
why the cd wasn't released earlier is beyond me. the vibe is just so good... music, lyrics, vocals. you may say his sound has changed some since these days... but can you really define his sound now?! the songs are fantastic, and could easily be hits today. or any day, in my mind.

THIS IS A GREAT CD! JOHN RICH OF BIG AND RICH, REALLY SHOWS THAT WHEN HE LEFT LONE STAR, HE WAS DESTINED FOR GREATNESS! THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF I PRAY FOR YOU IS ON THIS ALBUM, WHICH IS ON BIG AND RICH'S COMING TO YOUR CITY CD... JOHN'S ORIGINAL VERSION IS JUST AS GOOD AS THE BIG AND RICH ONE, ONLY IT'S GOT A LITTLE MORE ELECTRIC GUITAR PLAYING... ANOTHER GREAT SONG IS " SHE BRINGS THE LIGHTENING DOWN, WHICH IS ALSO ON FELLOW MAFIA MEMBER SHANNON BROWN'S CD, CORNFED, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT HIS VERSION IS FAR MORE ROCKED UP AND HAS BIG KENNY SINGING BACK GROUND VOCALS, REALLY COOL! AND THE SONG THAT STEALS THE SHOW FOR ME IS NEW JERUSALEM... THIS GOSPEL SONG IS DONE WITH NO MUSIC ACAPELA STYLE, AND JUST MAKES YOU WANT TO STAND UP AND HOLLER! AMEN!... AND A VERY TOUCHING INTERVIEW IS AT THE END WITH JOHN'S FATHER... THIS WHOLE ALBUM IS JUST GREAT! FROM BEGINNING TO END, AND IS FINALLY GETTING RELEASED, FOR ALL YOU MAFIA FANS, THIS CD IS ANOTHER GREAT ALBUM FROM THE MAFIA... PAUL WORLEY THE PRODUCER OF BIG AND RICH, CALLED JOHN RICH A GENIUS, AND FOLKS I CAN TELL YOU HE IS! THIS CD SHOWS THAT JOHN RICH KNOWS GREAT MUSIC, AND THIS IS WHY HE IS PRODUCING SO MANY MAFIA ALBUMS AND WRITING OVER HALF THE HIT SONGS FOR JUST ABOUT EVERY ONE IN COUNTRY MUSIC TODAY! SO GO OUT AND BUT THIS ALBUM... FIVE STARS! LET THE FREAK PARADE KEEP ROLLING!

I have loved John since the old Lonestar days and always knew he had a talent that should be a solo showcase. I love John and Kenny together (Big & Rich) and I Pray for You was on one of their albums. I thought I might not like it as much with only John, but it is still as much of a beautiful song with him alone as it is with the two of them together. This will definately be on my must play list for the forseeable future.

It's a nice album, but I really wasn't all that impressed with it, considering what John Rich has done with his career since this was released.

Great recording which allowed John Rich to show what he's got - which is plenty. Great variety - Great Recording.

I bought this because I am sort of a Big & Rich fan.
John Rich is a great songwriter. I think the cd is great - every song!
I am looking forward to his next solo project.

I was captivated when Big & Rich marched onto the scene a few years back. I was a relatively new listener to country music and this was my kind of sound - a blend of all the music I love with a lot of heart and rockin' soul. I'd hear a song on the radio that just grabbed me and I'd look it up - written by John Rich! Over and over again. I HAD to own his solo album. I wasn't disappointed.

There's not a song that I don't love, but Someday is a fave. And the untitled bonus track touched me. The bagpipes on Old Blue Mountain are a great addition to this album and the lyrics hold special meaning to me. There's not doubt that with or without B&R, John was destined for greatness in the music biz.

Thanks to John Rich for writing the soundtrack to my life!!

Buy this album, it'll be a collector's item when John becomes President in 2024!! And don't forget the book: Big & Rich: All Access