You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (Artist), Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 29, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0007GAEPI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,280 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid songs, straightforward picking, & euphonious vocals, April 26, 2005

By 

J. Ross "a-music_fan" (Roseburg, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper (Audio CD)

Playing Time - 39:19 -- "You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper" marks Doyle Lawson's new affiliation with the Rounder Records label, and this secular recording is full of truly zestful bluegrass. Let's recall the early history of Lawson's band. In 1979, Lawson put Quicksilver together with banjo player Terry Baucom, guitarist Jimmy Haley, and electric bass player Lou Reid. The band signed with the Sugar Hill Records label the following year, and they released the albums Quicksilver, Rock My Soul, Quicksilver Rides Again, Heavenly Treasures, and Once and for Always. After rededicating his life to Jesus Christ in 1985, Lawson recorded the all-gospel "Beyond the Shadows" with new players Scott Vestal (banjo), Curtis Vestal (electric bass), and Russell Moore (guitar). It was momentous occasion that indicated the band's ability to continue to set a high standard for bluegrass gospel music. The "Beyond the Shadows" reissue in 2004 marked an impressive and prolific long-term relationship that has resulted in 24 albums in as many years for this fine group that features well-blended vocal harmonies and arrangements.

Lawson's gospel (and secular) albums are consistently best sellers because their recipe for success has always been to present an excellent variety of material that appeals to the young and the old. As an example of this approach, let's analyze the songs on his 25th album - the secular "You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper" release now on the reputable Rounder Records.

With all his years in the business, Lawson clearly knows the successful recipe for a high-octane sound. Most impressive are the band's splendid choice of material, straightforward picking, and euphonious vocals. The latter is what really sets this band apart from the rest of the pack. Over the years, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver have won four Vocal Group of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association. I like to see liner notes clearly identify who is singing, and this is an unfortunate omission here. Yet, we know that the band includes Doyle Lawson (mandolin, guitbro, lead guitar, vocals), Jamie Dailey (guitar, vocals), Barry Scott (bass, vocals), Jesse Stockman (fiddle), and Terry Baucom (banjo, vocals). Truly, they're one of the strongest quintets in bluegrass today. Guest Glen Duncan fiddles on "Saving Grace," a slower song which (along with "Oak Valley Girl") best typify their cohesive well-blended trio. The latter incorporates some tasty fills played by Doyle Lawson on guitbro (an instrument which is a cross between guitar and dobro).

Fans of Doyle Lawson know that he has 40 years experience in bluegrass. The title cut (by Carl Caldwell) is a strong reminder that perseverance and hard work will yield bountiful rewards in life. That cut is characteristic of a general theme throughout this album - the songs have plenty of meaningful messages. Quicksilver's guitarist (Jamie Dailey) and bass-player (Barry Scott) penned the opener, "Heartbreak Number Nine," that speaks to having to get out of town with a one-way ticket when true love doesn't materialize. Another Dailey composition, "The Girl in the Valley," is about a desire to rekindle a relationship with an old flame. If adroit picking is your cup of tea, you'll be very thrilled by Baucom's banjo work on "Girl from West Virginia," along with the Lawson's crisp, driving mandolin on his self-penned "Rosine," a tribute to Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe's birthplace. Lawson is a first-class mandolin stylist in the bluegrass genre, and his instrumental expertise has been highly highly regarded and imitated.

Quicksilver's kaleidoscope of sound includes bang-up bluegrass, classic country, and gospel. Besides the originals, their diverse repertoire draws material from Jim Reeves ("Four Walls"), Porter Wagoner ("What Ain't to be, Just Might Happen"), Pete Goble and others. A band noted for vocal distinction also serves up quality instrumental work. In sum, it's a thoroughgood project that deserves a place in the top ten of bluegrass for 2005 releases. As they sing about in the closing number composed by Pete Goble, this band is clearly "knee deep in bluegrass." (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tight, upbeat bluegrass, May 29, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper (Audio CD)

Bluegrass legend surrounded by up-and-coming talents - check. Tight, multipart harmonies - check. Hot acoustic picking - check. To those who don't actively follow bluegrass, it's difficult to discern the differences between one top-notch band and another. What truly distinguishes Lawson's combo is the use of gospel quartet singing within the bluegrass framework. Though he and his accompanists can sing high-lonesome two-parts, it's the sustained chordal notes, such as the acapella tag to "Four Walls" that will send shivers down your spine.

Lawson's fine mandolin and guitar playing are displayed throughout, and having passed the banjo to rejoining bandmate Terry Baucom, the band strikes a balance that keeps the extraordinary vocals front and center. Highlights include the train-whistle lost-love harmonies of "Heartbreak Number Nine," the title-cut's whimsical, folksy style, and the album's sole instrumental, "Rosine" (which is sure to have them dancing at summer festivals!). It's all put together so smoothly, that casual listeners might not catch the incredible heart and craft laid into this recording.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, March 29, 2005

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Gotta Dig a Little Deeper (Audio CD)

You Gotta Dig A Little Deeper is a turning point for Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver on several counts. It's secular bluegrass, not religious; banjoist and bass singer Terry Baucomb from the original 1979 Quicksilver returns to the band; and the quintet here joins Rounder, America's largest indie label.

Typifying true trad bluegrass, there's nostalgia ("Oak Valley Girl") and a mandolin-led instrumental tribute to the genre's founder, Bill Monroe (Lawson's retro composition "Rosine"). Family-oriented tearjerkers from an era of shorter life expectancy generally featured a dead child or mother. Here, in the 21st century, a wife of 40 years drifts into Alzheimer's in gracefully slow-paced "Saving Grace."

The immaculately produced album repeatedly honors its roots. The title track's intro recreates the brief guitar/banjo/mandolin/fiddle solos opening Monroe's 1949 "Heavy Traffic Ahead." Close four-part harmonies recall classic bluegrass. Catch the high-pitched sustain ending a sped-up cover of Jim Reeves' 1957 "Four Walls." The tongue-twister refrain of Porter Wagoner's "What Ain't To Be, Just Might Happen" requires especially nimble vocalizing. Essentially, Dig A Little Deeper helps us, the listener, to dig a little deeper into the heart of true bluegrass.