Search - Steep Canyon Rangers :: Lovin' Pretty Women

Lovin' Pretty Women
Steep Canyon Rangers
Lovin' Pretty Women
Genres: Country, Blues, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

With "Lovin' Pretty Women", the Steep Canyon Rangers dig even deeper into a traditional bluegrass sound, but with a sophisticated twist. It's an album filled with the vim and vigor of a band in love with making music. The ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Steep Canyon Rangers
Title: Lovin' Pretty Women
Members Wishing: 8
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rebel Records
Original Release Date: 1/1/2007
Re-Release Date: 8/14/2007
Genres: Country, Blues, Pop
Styles: Bluegrass, Contemporary Blues
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 032511182425

Synopsis

Product Description
With "Lovin' Pretty Women", the Steep Canyon Rangers dig even deeper into a traditional bluegrass sound, but with a sophisticated twist. It's an album filled with the vim and vigor of a band in love with making music. The Rangers have written their own material since they first started jamming together in a stairwell on the campus of UNC. The group is blessed with artistic vision, a gift for songwriting and an intense desire to create their own unique sound. That's why the Rangers have been able honor the bluegrass masters who came before while nudging the genre forward in new and exciting ways.

"Traditionally, bluegrass bands have gotten by playing all the standards," says Sharp. "Most of those songs have all been done and they've been done really well. Why try to recreate something that you can't outdo? So that was our motivation to just be original. It gave us the opportunity to figure out how to be unique within a format steeped in tradition."

The new album showcases a band at the top of its game, whether dipping their banjos and guitars in the gospel water of "Be Still Moses" or telling stories from the coalmines in "Call The Captain" and "Cumberland Moon." The Rangers' compelling harmonies throughout are testament to the band's belief that the voice is as vital a musical instrument as anything with strings.

Whether they're "Lovin' Pretty Women" or making new fans all over the world, there s one thing the Steep Canyon Rangers will definitely be doing creating timeless acoustic music that honors tradition, while boldly moving it into the future.

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CD Reviews

The right attitude, gumption, original material, & tradition
J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 08/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 35:52 -- Eventually the Steep Canyon Rangers will no longer be just in their 20s. By the time they turn thirty, they'll be well-known far and wide for their brilliant performances and excellent recordings. Their fifth album since forming as a band in 1999, "Lovin' Pretty Women" has all the same splendid ingredients of previous releases that helped them win IBMA's 2006 Emerging Artist of the Year Award. The young, hard-working, and prolific band has been able to tour heavily since their jump to going full-time in 2001. Being on the road can be grueling, and the Steep Canyon Rangers have been able to maintain personnel stability that few bluegrass bands can claim. In early 2005, Woody Platt (guitar, vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin, vocals), Graham Sharp (banjo, guitar, vocals), Charles R. Humphrey III (bass) welcomed a fifth permanent member (fiddler Nicky Sanders) to the band. Although Sanders is a Californian, he fit right in with the other guys who originally met while students at UNC in Chapel Hill. The band found Nicky attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Collectively, they have the right attitude, gumption, original material, and most importantly traditionally-rooted chops to make a serious go of it.



Previous albums from the Rangers have enlisted the production assistance of folks like Curtis Burch or Mike Bub. Engineered by Wyatt Rice (who also guests on rhythm guitar), "Lovin' Pretty Women" was produced by Ronnie Bowman who lays in some harmony or backing vocals on four tracks. A third guest (Randy Kohrs on Dobro) slides gold into two numbers ("Don't Ease Me In" and "Pickin' on Josh"). Rebel Records' support is helping these boys climb the sheer walls and precipitous cliffs to stardom. Since the O Brother! movie, bluegrass music has won new converts who recognize it as something more than a passing fad to niche market devotees. Steep Canyon Rangers "cross-market" themselves to serve as young bluegrass ambassadors at venues and festivals where the music might not regularly be heard.



This album includes some nice covers like "Ain't No Way of Knowin'" and "Don't Ease Me in." Like their last two Rebel albums since 2004, "Lovin' Pretty Women" has originals from Sharp, Humphrey and Guggino. The song lyrics are all included in the 12-page CD booklet. The songs all punchy honky-tonkin' numbers, and rendered with a bounty of bluegrass bang. I especially take to the Rangers' appealing delivery with power, passion and emotion. That's called drive! These boys sing about being ramblin' men who can't resist the wanderlust and the call of the open road. At the same time, they have a clear aim for their music. With plenty of brand new songs, they have just one request - "let me live to love and love to live and lay me down to rest." Makes sense to me. That's the perfect sentiment for a sensational and soulful bluegrass group that is riding the enjoyable wave of life. I've made the recommendation before, and "Be Still Moses" gives us a small taste of what this band could do with a future all-gospel project. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

"
Steep canyon rangers
joseph cromwell | buffalo,ny | 02/08/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"oh do these guys rock!! great traditional bluegrass ! i met them at Tottenham, Ontario festival last summer and they stole the show! the fiddle player is just amazing. but all of them together just pour it out. great Cd to have playing while just riding around! these guys are goin places!!!"
"Bluegrass NOW!"
Robert R. Lyon | Olney, Maryland | 09/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The latest CD from the 2006 IBMA Emerging Artists of the Year. These five

great young men and artists are emerging no more - they have indeed arrived! A great follow up to the outstanding CD, "One Dime at a Time".

This CD showcases the Rangers writting ability (they write most of their

own music), the individual talents of each as an outstanding instrumentalist(most of them were recently initially nominated for individual IBMA 2007 instrumentalist awards) and great, great tight harmonies. The Rangers clearly have a passion for what they do - you must do yourselves a favor and see them in person (they all do a wonderful job of "meet and greet"!). The title cut, "Lovin'Pretty Women" will clearly quickly move to # 1 on the charts. They cover a wide range of great new and traditional bluegrass music. Each of the songs on this CD are equally strong, but I am particularly impressed with "Ramblin' Man is a Ramblin'Man", "Call the Captain","Be Still Moses", Don't Ease Me In",

and "New Sleepy Eyed John" and of course, "Lovin' Pretty Women" (it is certainly a candidate for song of the year!). Today's bluegrass music does

just not get any better than this!!"