InTune Magazine review on "Walden Dahl"
Reprinted From January 1999 Issue of "InTune Magazine" "Walden Dahl" If you are one of those who believe that good music just comes out of Nashville, you either don't get out much or your just not paying attention. Nashville has nothing on the talent coming out of Southern California these days.
The vocals on this album stir the soul. Beautiful high tenors and rich mellow baritones blend and support one another soulfully, exquisitely giving rise to goose bumps and tears. Walden's lead singing, surrounded by haunting dobro and mandolins work gives new life to the beautiful traditional lyrics of "Shady Grove". Too soon the heart-wrenching mountain love song is over and you feel yourself begin to breathe again. Turn out the lights, sit back, and drink it all in: the foot-tapping bluegrass of Bill Monroe, the country-western of Gene Autry, and early rock ballad like "Let it Be", Hedy West's folk classic "500 Miles", Marty Robbins "Devil Women" or any of Walden's own original compositions. This band is destined for big-name status once the rest of the country takes notice.
Each musician is a master with the ability to coax that fitting, tasteful emotion
from any number of instruments: Walden on guitar and electric bass; Paul
Shelasky on mandolin, fiddle, Dobro, electric guitar and guitar; Dean
Knight on string bass and lead vocals on "Big Spike Hammer",
and Dick Brown on banjo on Walden's "My Heart
Has Turned to Stone". Walden, Paul and
Neal Newman engineered, produced and mixed the album and Eric Uglum
mastered the recording. I just hope Nashville doesn't lure these folks away. It might be a little hard getting back to the Carlton Oaks.---Joe Felletta
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Walden Dahl is certainly
one of the finest examples of the talented music this area boasts. Walden,
who contributed to Mike Nadolson's equally fine "Quicksand"
album last year, puts together an excellent collection of music in his own right, all done
in his unique style and performed and recorded by an impressive array of musicians and
engineers.
