Exceptional musicians gather around O'Connor, always; these tracks are chosen samples from several other disks from Heartland. Acoustic strings with a couple vocals reflect the backgrounds of the musicians. Death by Triple Fiddle, Old Tyme, and Emily's Reel, are my favorites. Krauss' haunting Slumber, My Darling is outstandingly beautiful. I was looking for some great fiddling, my favorite thing, and, seeing the familiar names O'Connor, Fleck, Bush, with their banjo and mandolin, i could expect not only fine fiddling, but fine and exciting string instrumentals. I did not know the other names, Bell, Mayer, Ma. The cello is a nice touch, the bowed bass is usually tasteful. I come from bluegrass music, have been turned off by the electric sounds, particularly the obnoxious bass, so these acoustic recordings are welcomed with high honors. The only negative thing about this cd is the penhywhistle, in my estimation, on Soldier's Joy. It doesn't seem to meet the quality of the other instrumentation, tho it does add a particular flavor of those olden times, the 18th C. I don't know how representative these selections are to the six other Heartland disks from which they were taken, since i've never heard those others. The enclosed leaflet, with brief descriptions, gives some insight into those others. I like the mixture of musical stylings, and wonder when and if ever, music will be delineated by instrumentation rather than by style. Strings here, horns and drums someplace else. And the pure sweet sounds of acoustic strings be the favorite of all people. As they are mine.Read full review
I heard the first song on the CD while listening to NPR. The song was so pretty and haunting, I had to find out who the artist was and the name of the song. I would have bought the entire CD just for the first song but after listening to the entire CD, I am extremely pleased with the purchase. Growing up in Alabama, this music just sounds like home! The tunes are familiar but new. I love it! You won't be disappointed!
Great songs performed by Great musicians
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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