Folk & Country > 2000 to 2005 Folk & Country

"Pour Myself A Cup Of Ambition"

Advantages: Many of Dolly's greatest hits are included
Disadvantages: Only 21 songs, so some hits are missing

Dolly Parton is one of the most successful country singers of all time. Whilst staying true to the music of her Smokey Mountain roots she has also crossed over into the realms of pop as well as acting, and her catchy tunes and heartfelt lyrics have appealed to people from all walks of life throughout the four decades of her career. THE 'IRON BUTTERFLY' SPREADS HER WINGS "I'm proud of my humble beginnings, the fact that dreams can come true for just ...
...Dolly Rebecca Parton was born the fourth of twelve children in 1946 to a mother married at fifteen and a moon-shiner sharecropping father, who paid the doctor who attended Dolly's birth with a bag of cornmeal. She grew up in a run-down one room mountain cabin in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, soaking up the influences of her country surroundings. She was taught gospel music and the old mountain songs of Appalachia by her mother and grandmother, and began ...

VC81 21.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Ultimate Dolly Parton - Dolly Parton

Hymns Of The 49th Parallel

Advantages: You'll learn perfect singing technique from this album
Disadvantages: More songs on the album would have been great

Haunting voice, haunting songs, almost otherworldly. K D Lang really comes up with goods on this one. Her rendition of the Jane Siberry's "The Valley" is par excellence. The music is restrained yet emotional and seems to ebb and flow in all the right places with perfect timing. Of it goes without saying that on this album K D Lang's voice is the most commanding instrument in the ensemble. She must have had a lot of fun with this one because it truly ...

victorleigh 24.09.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Hymns Of The 49th Parallel - K.D. Lang

Eat this!

Advantages: Some great tracks
Disadvantages: Dreary packaging-- be best if you download the album!

Hailed by many as the new Bob Dylan, Willy Mason sure has a lot of weight to bare on his shoulders with this album debut. It's a little bit folky, a little bit country, a little bit rock; but all of it is very Willy Mason. One of my favourite things about this album is the fact it sounds so natural and unproduced, but in a good way. It does lack polish, but this is what makes it all the more likable. Part of this comes from Mason's voice, which ...
...out of time with the glorious music he is playing. This is not the only thing that people have compared to Dylan. Mason's lyrics also have a sense of urgency and passion which I haven't heard the likes of in a while. There are political undercurrents sprinkled through the album; on one song he may be criticizing George Bush (this is hardly original, but the way he does it definitely is) and on another he bemoans the priveleged, American middle classes ...

Rosebud1985 18.07.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Where The Humans Eat - Willy Mason

Beautiful - but I expected more.

Advantages: Lyrical, orginal, magical
Disadvantages: Compared to other work, not as captivating

I adore Kate Rusby. She has the honey toned whisper down to a tee. Her celtic, fairytale, mythical song topics are something not grasped with enoguh modern music. Her gentle Irish lilt creates an atmosphere and a mood of ye olde folk-songs, something from long ago, something of the time of honour and legends. Since I adore all kinds of celtic fantasy, this is right up my street. However... you knew there had to be a but and here it is... This album ...
...I was hoping for, as many of her other works did. Also, this is most certainly not an album for any cynics, non-romantics, or people who don't understand to magical importance of folk-stories or nonsense-rhyme. If you don't like fantasy, steer clear! I highly recommend this to anyone who has , just don't expect to be quite as blown away as you were before. Some of her songs that I had heard prior to this, such as 'I Am Stretched On Your Grave ' ...

huntressofthenight 23.05.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Girl Who Couldn't Fly, The - Kate Rusby

Original, fun & sometimes moving

Advantages: Kate's fabulous northern singing voice
Disadvantages: None, in my opinion.

Kate Rusby's singing voice is a very honest one, revealing her northern accent, which I think is wonderful in this age of Pseudo-American pop singers. She manages to convey both complexity and simplicity in her well-crafted songs - which draw on traditional lyrics and original music. The album opens with guitar used almost percussively in the intro to The Good Man - a highly unique, humorous and ambigulous song (traditional lyrics), and works its ...
...think?) xylophone... don't quote me! Unfortunately, the album wanes a little in the middle, but the first and last few songs are memorable and lovely. I have to say I haven't liked everything I've heard Kate do (slushy duets with Ronan spring to mind) but this album was the first I heard of her and a good introduction. I have yet to see Kate and band perform live, but would very much like to. Good stuff. ...

lizdavies 08.01.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Underneath The Stars - Kate Rusby