The Trailer Tapes

Chris Knight

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2007)
• Original Release Date: April 3, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirty Tigers
• ASIN: B000NOKBSE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,196 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In the summer of 1996, inside a sweltering singlewide trailer outside a small Kentucky mining town, an unknown sing/songwriter named Chris Knight recorded an 'unofficial' batch of tracks prior to the release of his major label debut album. Over the next decade, through a combination of leaks, bootlegs and legend, those sessions would become something much more. "People have been talking about these tapes ever since I recorded them," Chris Knight says. "To me, they were rough and stark and I never thought they'd see the light of day." Ten years and four acclaimed albums later, The Trailer Tapes remain a remarkable moment in time, less captured than cornered, a portrait of the artist as a ferociously talented young man. And for the artist The New York Times would soon call 'the last of a dying breed...a hard-nosed iconoclast with an acoustic guitar and a college degree," The Trailer Tapes have now arrived as the long-long missing first chapter of one of the most uncompromising careers in music today.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Edges But Good Music, May 2, 2007

By	Scott C. O. Brien - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Usually throwback albums are pretty bad, but here is a rare exception. Several albums into a critically acclaimed career, Chris Knight has decided to give us a look at himself in 1996, before anyone knew who he was. The Trailer Tapes is as bare bones as it gets: a guy, a guitar, a trailer, a tape recorder. The result is a genuine, raw, emotional performance from a talented singer/songwriter that is hungry to be heard.

This album sparkles with unkempt emotion. Its simplicity speaks in direct contrast to the overproduced and massaged music coming out of Nashville today. I'll take raw emotion and brilliant songwriting in a Kentucky trailer over Rascal Flatts anyday. If you are looking for pop-country with a fake smile, go elsewhere. Knight doesn't sing happy music, but no one is asking him to. People turn to music to capture their own emotions, which are often melancholy and pain-ridden. Knight does an admirable job doing this here.

Knight's talent belies his relative obscurity in the Americana scene. It is not an overstatement to say that he is among the best of today's Americana artists, though he has not yet received the acclaim he deserves. Comparisons to Steve Earle are a cop-out -- Knight is a unique character who doesn't squarely fit some cookie-cutter pedigree.

Several of the album's songs are excellent: "My Only Prayer" is a gem about the disillusion of city life (There's no need to reach for stars/When you can't see the sky). "Leaving Souvenirs" ties the life and death of a car to the memory of a long lost love. "House and 90 Acres" is better here than it is on his self-titled album because somehow a song sounds more honest when it is sung by a guy with a guitar in a trailer.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Old & New Stuff, April 2, 2007

By	S. F. M. "SFM" (SC) - See all my reviews

This is early raw and powerful Chris Knight, recorded where the music was written. A great introduction for new listeners or a long-awaited addition to a full library, it is a must have for fans of one of Americana's most celebrated musicians. Here Comes the Rain is a mournful voice of loss, and Spike Drivin' Blues has all the hard-driving brash sound we expect from Chris Knight. The emotion comes through loud and clear on all these tracks; listeners who think the artist should FEEL something when they sing will not be disappointed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, July 19, 2007

By	R. Green (San Antonio, Tx) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I went into a co-workers office and he was playing this CD. I said this is cool music so he lent it to me. I tell you this is some of the coolest music I have heard and I typically don't even listen to country music. It reminds me a little of Steve Earle, but its a little more fresh and innovative. Hopefully Chris releases some more music like this.