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Nice review Razor, I liked the album too, though not quite as much as you did..But I certainly agree with may of your observations.
DB’s vocals, lacking that classic “high lonesome sound” of a Ralph Stanley or a Del McCoury, and also lacking some technical proficiency of say a Dan Tyminski, was the weak link for me. Even as a Country singer, his voice often seems strained, to my ears anyway. But it is distinctive and has character, and ultimately, I do think he pulls it off.
But I have been spoiled by the exceptional qualitly of Patty Loveless’ Mountain Soul albums, and the comparison is apt especially given the similarities of Down in the Mine to You’ll Never Leave Harlan alive. The Bently/ Randall song has some awesome and meaningful lyrics, but it just cannot compare with the dignified and devastating Loveless classic. Or even the similar themed offerings from Kathy Mattea’s Coal allbum.
Compared to those albums, I think Up On the Ridge comes up a bit short, but compared to today’s “country” or even judged in isolation on it’s own merits, it is a very strong breath of fresh air. And I hope Nashville is watching with interest and will take note. I’m especially hoping this record will inspire Sara Evans to return to her roots, she has it in her to do a world-class Bluegrass album.
I heard this today……….don’t like it at all.
Pretty decent record but a long way from an ‘A’ – I would give it a ‘B’.
I would have preferred it to be more bluegrass and less acoustic modern country and a couple of the selections (most notably “Senor” and “Pride”) are inferior material for use on this sort of project . As noted above, Dierks really has a fairly limitted vocal range although his distinctive stylings enable him (like Ernest Tubb, Floyd Tillman, Charlie Walker and so many others before) to get away with it
The outstanding track on this collection is “Rovin’ Gambler”
A friend who was in the car with me when I was listening to this the other day commented – “half killer – half road-kill” . I think that is a bit harsh, I’d say “half excellent, half average”, but still , I was hoping for a bit better
I like it, although not quite as much as his first couple of albums. But I do applaud him for making a serious record based on artistic integrity rather than the desperate pandering to radio’s lowest common denominator so many of his peers are doing.
I could not disagree with PwDennis more. “Pride” may very well be one of the best crossover bluegrass songs ever. The Del McCoury vocals on this song are almost beyond belief. If Del got any higher he would break windows and knock buildings down. I bought this album soley for Pride which I originally heard on Sirius Bluegrass. However there are numerous other tunes that I enjoyed and because of the collaboration I have become a Dierks Bentley fan as well.
I was distinctly underwhelmed by the title track, but after all the positive reviews I purchased this album with some trepidation. I must say I am thoroughly impressed. Outside of the title track, this album is of consistently good quality, and in my estimation a contender for album of the year by a major label artist. I agree that Dierks deserves major props for creating an album in the name of artistry instead of hewing to commercial demands.
I agree with the consensus that the cover of “Pride” feels a bit unnecessary and out of place, but I thought Del singing the chorus in his high lonesome tenor was nothing short of great.
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