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Favorites: James Taylor's rendition of "Johnny has gone for a soldier". I had to listen to the CD, then I had to buy it. I've got them all individually in my collection, but collectively. You'd think I'd tire of this song, I've got a dozen covers of it, but no. You've got traditionals from anonymous donors and Foster. You've got some of the finest pickers and strummers around and it's just great stuff. "Death by Triple Fiddle" is a fast-paced fiddle song that'd have you dizzy if you got up and tried to dance, but your foot's going to be tapping and you might as well try. Rebecca Kyle, March 2009
If that's what you're looking for, then this is your CD. To me, THAT is "heartland" music.
But I'm afraid that it's a bit too "clean" to be anything close to the Appalachian music tradition I'm familiar with. It's sterile, it's perfectly rendered, there's no messy strings and gritty heart.
To be sure, this is a beautiful compilation, with rich sounds and familiar tunes. This CD has nothin' to do with all that, the style of which you're likely to hear in some bar deep in the hills of Appalachia.
I just am not sure that Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma really "get" the intonations and imperfections of Appalachian music. The cover is deceiving, with its distressed and grungy typography and sepia photo of a person in the hills.
This is beautiful, make no mistake, but it's very simply too rehearsed, too pristine, to be an "Appalachian Anthology." It sounds.well, it sounds like a classical violinist playing traditional Appalachian tunes. If not, I'd recommend something closer to Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, etc.
Heartland is a haven and a piece of heaven. I was transported.
Great violin, appalachian music, brings out your country roots, beautiful song by Allison Krauss, good mix of slow and up beat songs, excellent cd.
Not to say that the musicianship is not utterly outstanding, which it is most certainly. If you are planning to open up a high-end gift shop specializing in handcrafted wind chimes and micro-bakery scone mixes and the like, then you must have this CD playing for your customers. It might have a certain appeal there that it did not find in my living room. Aside from Short Trip Home, which is why I purchased this CD in the first place, I found the rest of the pieces somewhat vapid considering the caliber of the artists. Again, it has its appeal in an easy listening realm, but this was not what I was looking for.
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