Great music as always by this artist
David Weekley | 11/29/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"always the very best in bluegrass and gospel music. gets to the heart and soul of one's faith."
Authentic spiritual music
C. Canfield | san francisco | 10/24/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What a beautiful piece of musical expression! As I grew up in United Baptist tradition in Ohio and Kentucky, it was truly a heart-felt experience to discover this cd.
For those unfamiliar with this music, the vocal style may come across as imprecise or "out-of-tune", but go with the flow and open your heart and you will hear the influence of a musical tradition that dates to 16th century English/Scottish folk music. Normally the style is sung in unison, but on this album harmony is used while still preserving the "curving" improvisation within each line.
On an emotional level, this music is catharsis. It dwells in sadness to the effect of pure joy.
I really love this album."
Very Good, but not Great
David Weekley | West Union, WV USA | 03/28/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Almost Home is a very good CD, but falls short of being a great one. As always, the voice of Ralph Stanley can elevate any recording to heights it would not otherwise achieve. In addition, to Stanley, you will also get to hear the voices of Keith Whitley and Ricky Skaggs on some of the songs.No less than seven of the songs are excellent with "They Shall Walk With Me in White" and "Almost Home" topping the list for me.A number (too many in my opinion) of the songs are done in a sort of call and response style (meaning Stanley sings a line and then it is repeated by the group), with the results being a little to repititious.Despite a few shortcomings, I rate the CD highly and would buy another if my CD were lost or broken."