You Were There For Me

Peter Rowan & Tony Rice | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Label: Rounder
• Genres: Country/Alt-Country & Americana, Country/Bluegrass, Folk/Contemporary Folk
• ASIN: B0010TBQXK
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,819 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Growing on me, May 4, 2006

By 

Robert R. Veith (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Were There for Me (Audio CD)

I saw these two perform together live at Bumbershoot in Seattle a number of years ago. Rowan was in fine voice. Rice, and the whole of the band, accompanied with sensitivity and virtuosity uncomon in combination in contemporary bluegrass. Their performance of the old traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" brought me to tears and remains vivid in my mind as the definitive performance of a song which everyone has done.

So, when I picked up this album, I was initially (frankly) a bit disappointed. It seems quiet and subdued next to the live performance. The musicians have very few opportunities to stretch out and improvise. It's all Rowan compositions; no traditional music on the whole disc.

But I gave it a second, third, fourth listen. I paid for it, so why not? And it's really grown on me. The musicianship is quietly stunning. Tony Rice has a way of putting 50 notes into a single bar of music that makes it seem simple and melodic. Then I started to notice the other instuments. Bassist Bryn Bright plays enough music to hold every song together on his own, yet he never gets in anyone's way, to just give one other example.

And this is saying nothing of the songwriting. The more I listen, the more I appreciate the story telling, the uncommon subject matter, the nuances of interpretation.

Yup, this is a keeper.

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rowan sings, while Rice plucks the strings, September 29, 2004

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Were There for Me (Audio CD)

Two newgrass oldtimers pair up for what is, remarkably, their first full-length collaboration together... Mystic poet-folkie Peter Rowan dominates the album in the sense that the songs are all Rowan originals, and guitarist Tony Rice (who has a wonderful voice, but has been unable to sing for over a decade now due to a medical condition...) limits himself strictly to fancy fingerpicking for the length of the record. They're joined by a compact backup band, anchored by bassist Byrn Bright, a rock-solid player who continues to prove herself one of bluegrass music's brightest new stars. It helps to be a Peter Rowan fan for this one; there isn't a very strong truegrass feel for most of the material, but Rice does roll out some beautiful and very sympathetic accompaniment. I'm always happy to hear his elegant fretwork, and this is a nice showcase for his softer side.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice, November 1, 2004

By 

William J. Hardy "FlawLaw" (Buffalo, New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Were There for Me (Audio CD)

I am very impressed. This includes some marvelous picking and Rowan is at his best vocally. I hope these two collaborate some more because they are marvelous.