Bluegrass Music: Tricopolis Records-CD Reviews

I’m Movin’
I Don’t Have to Dream
Love Light
Jealousy
Missionary Ridge
Blue Water Holler
Stranger Things Have Happened
Savannah
He Don’t Like to Talk about It
Sweethearts Again
These Flowers
Keep My Love There (While I’m Gone)

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Claire Lynch has, arguably, the best female voice in acoustic music today. Her tonal quality is pure, and her intonation, perfect. She knows how convey her message with emotion, and thus, her performance does not simply emerge as an exercise in good vocal technique. She is in regular demand as back up singer for the likes of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and other artists of more fame with respect to general audiences. If she wished, she could be right at the top as well.

The focus on raising a family has limited the amount of her public appearances, producing, and record making in the last few years. The arrival of lovelight, Claire’s fourth album in almost as many years, is her best CD yet, at least in this reviewer’s mind. Backed by a newly reformed Front Porch String Band, the album covers a wide spectrum of acoustic styles from bluegrass to jazz. The very impressive list of backup musicians for Claire include Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, Larry Lynch, Glen Duncan, Rob Ickes, Robert Bowlin, and Alison Brown. Also, included on a few selections are Keith Little singing harmony vocals and Pat McInerney on drums.

One of the things that struck me about lovelight was the occasional use of non-traditional instruments. This greatly helped produce the different “feelings” that would provide the appropriate backdrop curtain for Claire’s voice. I admire any acoustic performer who elects to tread into these uncharted waters. No doubt, it steps on the toes of many loyalists who believe bluegrass or acoustic music should be guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and bass only. I listened to “These Flowers”, a song written by Claire about her father, “PawPaw”. This is one of the most delicate, most well written, and most superbly performed songs I have ever heard. The album liner states there is just one guitar. Yet, while wearing headphones, in the deep background, one can hear a beautifully programmed synthesizer, providing the perfect accompaniment to the effort.

For the purist, there is also a wide variety of traditional stylings in lovelight. Instrumentally, I really enjoyed listening to Missy Raines and Alison Brown among the others. They were all mixed excellently on this CD. Also, unlike her past three albums, most of the selections were penned by Claire herself. If you are open minded and like good music, buy this CD.

You won’t be disappointed!

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Lilly Of The West "Dear and Kind"

MusicAutor 6460

By: Joe "Zeke" Faletta
Tricopolis Staff Writer
joezeke@hotmail.com
May 10th, 2000

Playing time: 42:47 minutes

Early Morning Rain
Lonesome Pine
Gillis Mountain
If Wishes Were Horses
Lonesome Feeling
Now It Belongs To You
Blue Eyed Suzy
Whiskey Before Breakfast
I’ll Remember You Love In My Prayers
Sto Mi E Milo I Drago - 7/8 Measure
Daichovo Horo - 9/8 Measure
Be Thou My Vision

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Lilly of the West is easily one of the latest and finest examples of Bluegrass’s ever increasing world popularity. Lilly Drumeva on guitar, Tsetso Vlaykov, bass; Rossen Hristov, banjo, Dobro, and Gaida; and Rayko Pepelanov, guitar and mandolin, four accomplished and tasteful musicians and vocalists from Bulgaria, grab your heart strings from the opening cut and hang on tight throughout this fine collection of American bluegrass and Bulgarian folk music.

Instrumentally and vocally, these folks blend very nicely together. Lilly’s lovely gentle country soprano is standout among the best and simply gorgeous on the opener, an exquisite arrangement of Gordon Lightfoot’s classic “Early Morning Rain.” Tsetso’s lead tenor vocal is powerful on the follow-up number: Wayne Taylor’s “Lonesome Pine,” and tender and emotive on Steve Wariner’s “Now It Belongs To You.” The traditional “Lonesome Feeling” is done cranked way down, beautifully mournful with Lilly on lead vocals and Rossen’s very lovely Dobro work. Rossen’s banjo work on the toe-tapper “Blue Eyed Suzy” is a real treat, as is Rayko’s sizzling guitar work on “I’ll Remember Your Love In My Prayers.”

The group contributes a couple of pieces from their homeland. “Sto Mi E Milo I Drago,” a lovely folk song the title of which means “All That Is Dear and Kind to Me,” is performed acapella, beautifully showing off the band’s vocal talents. “Daichovo Horo” is an instrumental folk dance, arranged by Rossen and Rayko.

Joining these four are Tsvetelin Tsvetkov on piano and synthesizer on a couple of cuts; Atanas Stoyanov on Tapan; and Nikolay Dimitrov, with an inspired job on fiddle on “Now It Belongs To You.” Sofia, Bulgaria’s Studio 5 did an excellent job engineering the album. Each cut is nicely laid out and very pleasant on the ears. Likewise, the cover and liner on the eyes, very nicely laid out, including some very attractive photos of the band

Cover to cover, first song to last, this album is a sure winner, each piece deserving of some quality air play here in the United States

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