Unlike the James Gang album by the same title, John Fogerty, who really is The Blue Ridge Rangers, released its sophmore effort 36 years after its debut. However, nice job. This prog country effort starts with two bluegrass rave-ups. An album of covers of classic country soul Paradise and Never Ending Song of Love start this terrific album out with a fun bluegrass bang. We next hit the stride with traditional country with just beautiful fiddle and steel guitar on Buck Ownens's I Don't Care.
You can't not love the great cover of Ray Price's classic I'll Be There done with such fun reverence, again with a bluegrass style and beat. The album is primarily acoustic (some steel and electric guitar) is superior in every way to the debut. I suspect because of superior recording these days.
What is most striking, I have determined, is the absolute conclusion of why Creedence Clearwater Revival is so much of a country and country rock band. Pure Americana, as no more evidenced by the great Moody River. It could have easily fit in on any one of the seven CCR albums.
We even have a great interpretation of the sappy, The Judd's Heaven Is Just A Sin Away. Fogerty's expression of country music as filtered through one of the cooler left wing musicians who has been making statements about anti-establishment country music for 40 years. And this is way before the present crop of alt-country, rural, urban hipsters, ever understood the great songwriting contained in country & western and Americana style music of the Modern Era.
The singing guests of singer/songwriter fame include the likes of Don Henley on Garden Party and Bruce Springsteen dueting on the great Everly Brothers tune When Will I be Loved. Plus the review would be incomplete without mentioning the guitar slinging of Americana Artist of the Year Buddy Miles.
This is a superb country rock album. Buy it.
You can't not love the great cover of Ray Price's classic I'll Be There done with such fun reverence, again with a bluegrass style and beat. The album is primarily acoustic (some steel and electric guitar) is superior in every way to the debut. I suspect because of superior recording these days.
What is most striking, I have determined, is the absolute conclusion of why Creedence Clearwater Revival is so much of a country and country rock band. Pure Americana, as no more evidenced by the great Moody River. It could have easily fit in on any one of the seven CCR albums.
We even have a great interpretation of the sappy, The Judd's Heaven Is Just A Sin Away. Fogerty's expression of country music as filtered through one of the cooler left wing musicians who has been making statements about anti-establishment country music for 40 years. And this is way before the present crop of alt-country, rural, urban hipsters, ever understood the great songwriting contained in country & western and Americana style music of the Modern Era.
The singing guests of singer/songwriter fame include the likes of Don Henley on Garden Party and Bruce Springsteen dueting on the great Everly Brothers tune When Will I be Loved. Plus the review would be incomplete without mentioning the guitar slinging of Americana Artist of the Year Buddy Miles.
This is a superb country rock album. Buy it.
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