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"Song Of The
Hills -- Instrumental Impressions Of Appalachian Classics"
The
original concept for this record began when, after "The
Way West" soundtrack was finished, the project was so
gratifying that Shanachie president Rich Nevins and Brian Keane
wanted to do another project together. They decided to do an instrumental
compilation of Appalachian classics using some of the finest traditional
musicians, and making use of Rich Nevins' encyclopedic knowledge
of Appalachian music, as well as his extensive collection of 78
rpm records. The record was recorded and mixed at various locations
from Nashiville TN to Woodstock NY primarily by Brian Keane and
Ron Bach. The result is a recording that brings with it the beautiful
relaxing ambience of country life. This is an expertly played
instrumental collection of some of the greatest traditional melodies
in the history of rural America.
Track
List:
1.
Tom Bigbee Waltz - Jay Ungar/Molly Mason/John Sebastian
2. Water Is Wide, The - John Doan/Brian Keane
3. Midnight On The Water - Jay Ungar/Molly Mason
4. Seneca Square Dance - Jay Ungar/Molly Mason/Peter Blue/Brian
Keane
5. Footprints In The Snow - Bill Keith/Tony Trischka/Eric Weissberg/Ken
Kosek/Stacy Phillips/Molly Mason
6. Sweet Sunny South - Stacy Phillips/John Sholle
7. Shenandoah - Brian Keane
8. Greenwood Tree, The - Norman Blake/Nancy Blake
9. Shady Grove - Alan Feldman/Ken Kosek/Lorraine Lee/Dan Barrett
10. Charles Giteaux - Norman Blake/Nancy Blake
11. Man Of Constant Sorrow - Eric Weissberg/Brian Keane
12. Darling Cora - Eric Weissberg
13. When First Unto This Country - John Sebastian/Jay Ungar/John
Whelan/Molly Mason
14. Wagoner's Lad - John Sebastian/Brian Keane
Release
Date: January 19, 1999
Label: Shanachie
Reviews:
Boston Herald:
"'Song Of The Hills' is a sublime, intelligent recasting
of 19th century folk music. It is both mythic and hoedown-to-earth...Ellicits
the warmth and certainty of a 19th century parlor, the gaiety
of a frollicsome Saturday night dance, and the elegiac haunting
of a lost American dream." -- Daniel Gewertz
Dirty Linen: "Produced by Brian Keane (Long Journey
Home), this release brings together some of the finest American
traditional musicians to celebrate Appalachian classics...Beautiful."
-- Ivan Emke
CD Now.com: "After producer/musician Brian Keane released
the soundtrack to the acclaimed The Way
West, Shanachie label president Rich Nevins was so taken with
the experience, as was Keane, that they promised to collaborate
on a future project. The result of that promise is Song of the
Hills, a beautiful recording that takes classic American melodies
and sets them in the bedrock of fresh, Appalachian-style instrumentals.
Featured performers include Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (the heart-stirring
fiddle rendition of the traditional 'Midnight On The Water'),
Norman and Nancy Blake (the melancholy fiddle/cello rendition
of the traditional 'The Greenwood Tree'), and the breathtaking
album closer, 'Wagoner's Lad', performed by Brian Keane with John
Sebastian on harmonica. These are but three of the 14 songs, and
just a handful of the gifted musicians that make Song of the Hills
a definitively moving tribute to that definitive wellspring of
American music, the Appalachian Valley." -- Bob Gulla
Ventura City Coast Reporter: "This one is a winner
for fans of Americana." -- Solomon Bass
NAV Music Reviews: -- "Flawlessly played...innovative."
-- Antoinette Botsford
The Cambridge Tab: "This is a labor of love, 14 songs
recorded over a three-year period and featuring contemporary folk
players like Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, veterans such as Eric
Weissberg, John Sebastian and Norman and Nancy Blake, and many
others. This is all about banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins,
dobros, dulcimers and lots more (including a terrific Sebastian
harmonica solo). The traditional acoustic Appalachian music here
exudes a wonderful, old-timey, backwoods moodiness. It's all great
listening, with the busy 'Seneca Square Dance', the beautiful
'Shenandoah', the spellbinding 'Darling Cora', the easygoing 'Man
Of Constant Sorrow', and the lilting 'Wagoner's Lad' the stand-outs.
(Grade: A)" -- Ed Symkus
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