Search - Various Artists :: Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers

The most beautiful music you'll ever hear & it's about time!

11/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years now, the hippest and most knowledgeable Acts in all areas of Country from AltCountry to Bluegrass and on down to all the Gram Parsons disciples have been mining the Louvin Brothers catalogue for a heart-breakingly beatiful ballad to add some authenticity to their take on the genre. While Parsons might have done it first, Emmylou Harris turned heads and melted hearts when she covered "If I could Only Win Your Love" early in her solo career and released it as a single. At that time (mid to late seventies) Country was moving away from Tradition and more towards handsome Studs in Stetsons, forgetting the timeless appeal of a wellcrafted tune just tailor-made for aching harmonies. Needless to say, Harris had a hit and it was not the first nor the last time that she reached deep into their Ouvre for something sublime. So, the question is... since The Louvins are so good, so cover-ready, why did it take all this time?The answer is that the New Bluegrass revival that was well underway before OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU....utilized all that emerging talent just exploded with the national attention from the original soundrtrack and the followup... DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN. Now that "New"Grass has so many talented musicians who pay their daily respects to the history they have dusted off, shined up and offered up for our mutual enjoyement.... there are finally enough savvy music buyers to make this CD a winning proposition.Now, the Louvin Brothers didn't write all their songs, but their distinctive harmonies remain a standard against which all duets should be measured. It was a standard Gram Parsons strove to meet when he searched for and found his perfect "Girl Singer" , Emmylou Harris. That High Lonsome sound that so many musicians talk about today was perfected and promoted by a number of past Acts inlcuding the Louvins who sang sweet duets about the Devil's temptations ( Satan's Jewel Crown) as often as they turned their talents to a Boudleaux Bryant love song like " How's the World Treating You." (Co-written with the late great Chet Atkins, no slouch when it came to writing a pretty tunune himself)On this CD, if I single out no other song, I must say that I was literally dumbstruck with awe the first time I heard the James Taylor/Alison Krauss version as its video played on a cable music station. I didn't even look.. I just closed my eyes and wept.. that's how perfect it is. To hear Taylor singing such sweet harmony to such a well-crafted song and not his recently overly earnest attempts at rekindling his old fandom on OCTOBER ROAD was simultainiously a relief and a tremendous pleasure. Alison's voice, which is light as a feather, pure and angelic matches the timbre and quality of his voice so well that one could be forgiven for assuming that God himself ordained the pairing. Seriously, this song deserves to run up the charts and stay there a good long time. It deserves that success not just because it is a timeless display of the simplicity of harmony in service of a sweet ballad but because it reminds us what we have NOT had for years on the country charts: Actual talent and memorable songs.The other songs on this CD are equally well-paired with nary bum cut in sight. If anything, I hunger now more than ever for MORE, more, more Louvin Brothers Tribute CDs. Call this one Volume One folks and give us some more. I would have liked to seen Jeff Tweedy, Evan Dando and some of the other regulars of Alt Country try their hand with some other Louvin material. It would also have been nice to see some of the so-called Inventors of 'Country-Rock" like Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn, Glenn Frey and even Barry Tachin. And lastly, why oh why are Bruce Springsteen & Patti Scialfa absent? A minor quibble, but the husband and wife rockers have more than proved their country chops in concert and on other performers' CDs. Bruce & Patti have done Bluegrass versions of some of his songs with harmonies so sweet & lovely, the breath leaves your body for a while. (For example: check out the live cut of "Mansion on the Hill" from the most recent Bruce LIVE album) Ah well, maybe on Volume II should there be one. No one Tribute CD can deliver every fan's dream parings of artists with songs. This is especially true with such touchstone artists as the Louvins. Even so, anyone would be delighted with what we have here.So, all other minor quibbles, unreasonable desires & unfulfilled dreams aside, allow me to say the following:To my mind, this CD and all the performances on it fell like Manna from the Heavens just as some of us were starving for harmonious sustanence as we wandered this musical desert searching for the promised land. Sustain us it shall and hopefully it will encourage a Boudleaux and Felice Bryant Tribute as well (they wrote many of the Everly Bros. best songs as well as "Love Hurts"). All I can say is,in the tradition of Dickens' Oliver Twist "Please, May I have some more?"In the meantime, spread the word and enjoy each and every song, over and over. You might even lay this CD on your parents or grandparents if they, like my older family members, nearly cried for joy when the OH BROTHER... Soundtrack came out. This is THAT good. Enjoy!"

The best CD of 2003!!!

Marcus Thell | Vimmerby, Sweden | 10/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Louvin Brothers are one of the most influential country acts ever to appear in this wonderful music business. Their incredible harmony has influenced lots of people like for example Emmylou Harris, Everly Brothers and even The Beatles! This tribute-Cd to the hall of fame brothers is well overdue!!! I want to send a big thanks to producer Carl Jackson who really understand what was great about the Louvin's original versions of songs like "Keep Your Eyes On Jesus", "Are You Teasing Me" and "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face". But the stand out among the songs is easily Glen Campbell and Leslie Satcher's wonderful cover of "When I Stop Dreaming". And second is Merle Haggard with Carl Jackson on Bill Anderson's brilliant song "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face"...but actually there isn't a single bad song on this CD!!! If you intend to buy just one more record this year - then buy this one, you won't regret it!"

Excellent Tribute CD to the wonderful Louvin Brothers

Howard Milton | Oro Valley, AZ USA | 10/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I generally do not care for a lot of tribute albums. But after reading the other reviews written on this album, I decided to check the listing of artists performing on this album. And I was anxious to hear their renditions of these great songs so I bought it last week. THERE IS NOT ONE BAD SONG ON THIS ALBUM. I have already played it through at least 5 times in only 2 days.I believe that Ira and Charlie Louvin were the first duo who really kept close harmony on their recordingss. The Everly Brothers came along later in the 50s, and took much of their phrasing and style from the Louvin Brothers. Ira and Charlie would really be proud of what Carl Jackson did with this production. He has captured the essence of the Louvin Brothers perfectly. I hope that he produces a second volume of their work in the near future."