Customer Reviews

Walls of Time

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Peter Rowan has often been quoted as saying he learned how to sing on Joe Vals' front porch. Of all his albums, his voice sounds like the late east coast bluegrasser the most here. This album is also the best of his solo albums fom a bluegrass perspective.

The title track is my favorite cut, having what Monroe used to call the "old tones". Great bluegrass writing, (all the elements are here; love, death, longing, the supernatural) wonderful intrumentation, and impeccable singing. I think he doea a good job on "Moonshiner" though Dylans' old cut is superior. As mentioned elsewhere, "Thirsty in the Rain" is beautiful and the the song amongst all of his that I would hold up as most representative of his sensibilities as a lyric writer.
"Old Old House" is a great old George Jones song that Peter just slays. I'd like to see some of those ditzes on "American Idol" try to chew on a song like this just once. If you can sing that one well you can flat out sing!

A great album I always return to. Buy it along with a Joe Val CD and get the muse as well!

Peter Rowan has had as prolific a career in bluegrass as anyone not named Allison Kraus could possibly have - it's hard to believe that he's entering his fourth decade of his career since doing time with Bill Monroe in 1970. While it's impossible for anyone to go wrong with picking up any of his CD's, "Walls of Time" is my personal favorite. Recorded in the early '80's, this collection (sans cuts 7,8, and 9, which were recorded on a different album and protrude notably from the rest of the songs) found Rowan in a somewhat reflective/introspective state of mind. The selection of material reflects that mood, but maintains the interest of the listener nonetheless, thanks to his clear tenor (still the best in bluegrass today) and a strong backup band including Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, Jerry Douglas on dobro (what else?) and Alan O'Bryant and Eddie Adcock sharing banjo duty. In addition to their instumental abilities, Skaggs, O'Bryant, and Adcock are all noted harmony vocalists, lifting material like "Raglan Road," "Moonshiner," and "Casey's Last Ride" through the rafters (I'm a particular fan of Adcock - there is not a better backup banjoist on medium and slower tempoed banjo tunes than he). For "traditional" fans, his duet with Skaggs on the title cut surpasses the original by Monroe.

Don't pass this one by.

Rowan was once a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys and he collaborated with Monroe on the title cut. Thirsty in the Rain, a song about the irony of how people in the USA have so much but keep searching for more, was written after Rowan was on a Buddhist retreat. The muscians playing with Peter are solid and contribute greatly to the over all quality of the recording.