Skippin' and Flyin' ~ CD Reviews

 

Jack Bernhardt ~ News-Observer, Durham, NC 11/7/11

 

Two-time Female Vocalist of the Year Laurie Lewis is not your typical bluegrass star. Raised in California's left-liberal Bay Area, Lewis tends to favor songs that promote social justice and champion environmental concerns.

 

And while her voice is more folk/Americana than Kentucky high lonesome, Lewis is, gloriously, a bluegrass fiddler, songwriter, singer, and bandleader, whose roots are planted firmly in soil lovingly tilled by the "Father of Bluegrass," Bill Monroe.

 

The CD's title is taken from a verse of "Old Ten Broeck," a Monroe classic that he recorded under the title, "Molly and Tenbrooks," and which celebrates a race between the two champion horses on July 4, 1878. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Monroe's birth in 1911, this bluegrass favorite kicks off 14 tracks which, Lewis writes in the liner notes, are "drawn from the same wellsprings" that informed Monroe's muse.

 

With first-rate musicians, including Tar Heel superpickers Craig Smith on banjo and Scott Huffman on guitar, Lewis covers plenty of ground with engaging covers and thoughtful originals. Covers include the Flatt and Scruggs pronouncement on gender equity "What's Good for You (Should be All Right for Me)," Tompall Glaser's "I Don't Care Anymore," the old-time smiler "I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow," Jimmie Rodgers' "Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues" (to which Lewis adds a verse and some fine yodeling), and Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

 

Lewis' "The Pharaoh's Daughter" celebrates the woman who disobeyed her father and saved the life of Moses. And with "American Chestnuts," she laments the near extinction of "these once-plentiful and beneficent beings."

 

Lewis leaves us with the contemplative "Going Away," a song written by the late hobo/entertainer U. Utah Phillips, who rode the rails as comfortably as most of us ride in cars: "Is that the moon I see, shining there in the west/Or just the headlight's gleam, C&O Express?"

 

-Joe Sixpack ~ Slipcue.com

 

"A sweet, joyful birthday centennial celebration of the late, great bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe, and the music he created... This album is traditionally-oriented, but not quite as stark or severe as Monroe's own recordings could be... Lewis gives the music a softer touch, both stylistically and emotionally, embracing a very full-of-life, thankful-to-have-Monroe's-music-in-my-world kind of vibe. It's not strictly a Bill Monroe tribute, more of a broad-based homage, with songs from the repertoires of Jimmie Rodgers, Flatt & Scruggs, Del McCoury, Utah Phillips and others, as well as some Laurie Lewis originals, but all with a familiar feel that fits into the grand, 'grassy scheme of things. Along for the ride are several longtime Lewis collaborators, such as Tom Rozum, Todd Phillips and banjoists Craig Smith and Patrick Sauber. It's another class act from this California bluegrass mainstay... Fun and full of feeling!"

 

Ken Morton, Jr. ~ Engine145 ~ Engine145.com

 

Some 2000 miles from the birthplace of bluegrass, a fiddle player named Laurie Lewis has been making her own brand of Northern California bluegrass for many years. She's twice been named IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year and even taken home a Grammy for her work in the field. In this musical dedication to Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music, Lewis has collected a mix of important-to-her covers and originals that makes up a who's who of writers and original performers. A peek through liner notes reveals names like Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, The Carter Family, Wanda Jackson, Del McCoury, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmie Rodgers and Wilma Lee Cooper.

 

The covers are inspired. On "A Lonesome Road" (written by Blue Grass Boy Joe Stuart and recorded by Monroe) Lewis sings the mournful lyrics in a matching sorrowful style... The Tompall Glaser-written "I Don't Care Anymore" is a delicious relationship kiss off tune that shows off Lewis' fiddle chops (editor's note: Chad Manning plays fiddle on this cut). "Blue Moon of Kentucky" is another more than capable Monroe dedication where Tom Rozum plays some beautiful mandolin and Lewis finishes in a fantastic falsetto finish. A couple of singing angels also lend their vocals to the project as well. Linda Ronstadt sings harmony on the Flatt and Scruggs classic "What's Good for You (Should Be Alright for Me)" and Del McCoury's "Dreams." Dale Ann Bradley adds harmony on the "I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow."

 

Though the classic covers are superb, interestingly enough, it is the originals and modern tracks that stand out even more and make this album special. "Pharoh's Daughter" is a thoughtful and introspective look into the adoptive mother of Moses who defied edict after edict and kept a baby who would change the world. The baritone that chimes in on the chorus gives the song an incredible vocal sense of depth. "Hartfordtown 1944" covers the true story of a tragic circus fire in Hartford that killed over 150 people. It's told from a fascinating perspective of a child grounded at home, not able to attend "the greatest show on earth." "American Chestnuts" is a rich instrumental mosaic about the plague that decimated the chestnut tree population across the eastern sea board. Lewis gives the trees a voice and personality-and more importantly, human relevance. "Each year we send up our silver shoots and we will rise again," she sings eloquently.

 

Lewis set out to honor those that paved the way before her. By selecting songs that helped chart her own course and penning a couple tracks that help move the bluegrass road a little farther down the line, she's done just that-and well.

 

Donald Teplyske ~ Country Standard Time
A Deep Bill Monroe Tribute

 

"I've been told that I have a tendency to occasionally write more than people want to read, given these days of shorter attention spans and such. So here is the capsule review: West coast bluegrass maven Laurie Lewis pays the ultimate tribute to Bill Monroe by exploring his roots and branches in ways that he may not have imagined. 5 stars; 9.5/10; 93.7/100; Essential listening."

 

2011 has been deemed by the greater bluegrass community as 'the year of Bill Monroe.' In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his birth, the Father of Bluegrass has been feted far and wide: tribute bands have performed and tribute albums and songs have been recorded and released, some very good and some simply bordering on exploitive. Even Garrison Keeler and his Prairie Home Companion friends are getting in on the act, taking the show on the road to Kentucky in November for an evening of Bill Monroe music and stories featuring several Blue Grass Boys.

 

The most impressive Bill Monroe tribute to arrive this autumn may also be the most understated. Nowhere on the cover of "Skippin' and Flyin'" is Mr. Monroe mentioned or illustrated. Rather, Laurie Lewis appears in full-blown Blue Grass Boy regalia, dressed with the same precision of style and substance that has been her hallmark for the past several decades as one of bluegrass and acoustiblue music's beautiful flowers.

 

Also unlike most of the previously released projects- and again, some of them have been quality albums assembled for the 'right' reasons- "Skippin' and Flyin'" is not simply a collection of 10 or 15 Monroe tunes recorded by a contemporary band. Rather, "Skippin' and Flyin'"goes to the heart of Mr. Monroe's music, exploring its soul and his motivations and influences. This is an album that embraces elements of those Mr. Monroe himself recorded.

 

While Mr. Monroe didn't follow any rules other than his own, it wasn't unusual for him to record songs from folk, country, and mountain traditions. One of his substantial talents was for making those songs seem entirely new in his hands. At the same time, he would sometimes go back to his own catalogue and breathe fresh life into songs he recorded many years previously. Mr. Monroe also had a talent for identifying and recording songs from contemporary writers. From all I've learned, he had affection for the blues and brought disparate rhythms into his music, making it all work through his intense vision of what was right for his music. Of course, he also wrote songs- great songs, 'true songs,' songs that will last.

 

The above also clearly describes Laurie Lewis' beautiful project, "Skippin' and Flyin'". As she writes in her detailed, insightful, and very personal liner notes, "Bill Monroe was not a follower of styles but steadfastly played his singular music through the good times and the tough, inspiring me with his example to be free to explore my own musical path. Almost all of the songs here are performed with a 'traditional' bluegrass band: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, and bass. All of the harmony singing stems directly from the school of Bill Monroe."

 

Laurie Lewis is no newcomer to bluegrass music, having played almost every festival there is and having recorded excellent albums over the years, "The Golden West" and "Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals" being just two. However, she has never narrowed her field and has recorded some of the finest folk-inspired music of the past three decades, among them her incredible collaborations with Tom Rozum "The Oak and the Laurel" and the under-heralded "Guest House."

 

She has always been versatile, performing as a duo with Rozum or leading a full-fledged bluegrass band with equal effectiveness and charisma. As a musician, she is frequently called on to provide session fiddle and vocal performances and to augment an established group. In a one week period two years back I saw her filling in with Kathy Kallick- a frequent singing partner- in a Red Deer bluegrass setting and the next weekend filling in with Dave Alvin's hard-hitting Guilty Women at Hardly Strictly.

 

She has at least one signature song, Who Will Watch the Home Place? Kate Long's exceptional song that was awarded the IBMA's Song of the Year award in 1994. She has also been awarded the same organization's Female Vocalist of the Year award twice and has been nominated frequently.

 

"Skippin' and Flyin'" takes its name from Old Ten Broeck, which opens this magnificent 55-minute album: "Old Ten Broeck is skippin' and gone away, Old Ten Broeck is skippin' and flyin'."

 

Lewis has taken this instantly recognizable precursor to Molly and Tenbrooks, a song frequently performed by Bill Monroe, back to its roots in the music of The Carver Boys and Cousin Emmy while working in elements from Mike Seeger and Monroe. Thank goodness for artists, like Lewis, who believe in the value of song notes!

 

As she does throughout the album, Lewis doesn't simply mimic what Bill Monroe did in 1947 and 1957; she goes deeper, exploring what he may have heard and been impacted by in earlier years. In doing so, she gets to the roots of Bill Monroe in ways that many other artists have not attempted in 2011.

 

She takes a very different tack with Blue Moon of Kentucky. It is almost as if Lewis is saying, 'This is Monroe, and we'll honour him by performing it as he did." Lewis takes liberty with the chorus, switching up the 'left me blue' and 'proved untrue' lines, but otherwise maintains the spirit of the early, pre-Elvis Monroe recordings of the song, including an extended, mournful fiddle feature.

 

The final 'Monroe' song included on "Skippin' and Flyin'" is also the lonesome-est. As recorded here by Lewis and her usual touring band (Rozum, Scott Huffman, Craig Smith, and Todd Phillips) A Lonesome Road, recorded by Monroe in 1957, is blue and bluesy and works nicely in tempo with the album's mid-set flavour. A similar mood with a very different execution is found on Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues, a flirty tune Lewis learned from Wanda Jackson.

 

Songs from Del McCoury (Dreams) and Flatt & Scruggs are also included, I imagine because- as Lewis writes in the notes- "If Bill Monroe hadn't come along, there probably wouldn't have been Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, or any of the modern bluegrass bands you hear today." (And, before shorts get twisted too tightly, she continues: "But there would have been and would be someone playing some sort of tradition-based string band music. And it would hold appeal for many people today, just as it has for generations.")

 

So we have fresh interpretations of What's Good For You (Should Be Alright for Me), as fine a justification for cheatin' and hurtin' as has been written, and I Don't Care Anymore. Going back even further, Carter's Blues (from the American tradition) and Fair Beauty Bright (from the British)- two ribbons well-mined by Monroe- are included. Tom Rozum's mandola offerings on the latter tune are haunting and ideal.

 

On the contemporary front, Lewis offers stellar gems. Mark Erelli's lyrically rich song of devastation Hartfordtown 1944 is given a full-blown bluegrass setting (and check out his version on 2006's exceptional "Hope & Other Casualties," the album that convinced me that Erelli is every bit as 'good' as the singer-songwriters you have heard). While Monroe never heard the song, one can imagine that he might have given it more than a passing nod.

 

I've often stated that everything I know and appreciate about religion has been learned through bluegrass songs, and Lewis continues my education withThe Pharaoh's Daughter. Expanding on the story of Moses, Lewis tells of what became of his rescuer. In an entirely different manner, Lewis shares her admiration for lost giants of Appalachia; American Chestnuts is Lewis's take on an ecological Rise Again, a promise that that which is lost will return.

 

I believe that leaves only two tracks unmentioned, Wilma Lee Cooper's I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow and Going Away which comes from Utah Phillips. With Cooper's passing last month, I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow serves then as a tribute to one of the leading ladies of country and bluegrass music and it is entirely appropriate that today's first lady of bluegrass, Dale Ann Bradley, joins in on harmony.

 

Similarly, and yet entirely differently, Lewis acknowledges Phillips by performing his Going Away in a style that would have been out-of-place on a Monroe album but which is entirely sensible within the context of "Skippin' and Flyin'."

 

Fifteen hundred-plus words to analyze an album of 14-songs? There is something to be said for brevity, but in the case of "Skippin' and Flyin'" fewer words wouldn't do, at least for me. Better writers than I will be able to distil the essence of this artistic creation, but for me it took all these words to capture what I believe is a beautiful and landmark album.

 

Laurie Lewis has created many excellent albums, and may have recorded 'better' ones than this. But none have been more important or have impacted me more. By exploring Bill Monroe- his music, his tradition, his influences- in this manner she has paid him the ultimate tribute.

 

The bluegrass album of 2011? Perhaps not, but on my list with Dale Ann's "Somewhere South of Crazy," Blue Highway's "Sounds of Home," Junior Sisk's "The Heart of a Song," and Alison Krauss & Union Station's "Paper Airplane."

 

 

Vintage Guitar Magazine - February 2012

 

 

Andrew Gilbert ~ Berkeleyside

 

Berkeley's musical blessings are bountiful, but I'm going to start this holiday season by giving thanks for Laurie Lewis.

 

Creatively ambitious and utterly unpretentious, steeped in tradition but doggedly progressive, Lewis is a gifted fiddler, deft guitarist, inspired songwriter and powerfully evocative singer. A creative force on the Bay Area bluegrass scene for decades, the long-time Berkeley resident has mentored several generations of brilliant young string players, while also honing an impressive body of evocative original songs (projects that she releases on her own label, Spruce and Maple Music).

 

Lewis showcases both sides of her musical life on her new album "Skippin' and Flyin'," a loving tribute to bluegrass patriarch Bill Monroe on the 100th anniversary of his birth. She celebrates the album's release Saturday at Freight & Salvage, where she'll be joined by most of the album's cast, including her long-time musical partner Tom Rozum on mandolin and vocals, fiddler Chad Manning, bassist Todd Phillips and Patrick Sauber on banjo.

 

Lewis explores several numbers indelibly linked to Monroe ("A Lonesome Road" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky") but casts a much wider net, covering songs recorded by his antecedents (The Carter Family and Jimmy Rogers) and his musical progeny (Flatt and Scruggs). My favorite song is one of Lewis's own devising, "The Pharaoh's Daughter," a gorgeous ode to the biblical heroine who saved Moses and then promptly disappeared from the book of Exodus.

 

While the album features several illustrious guests - Linda Ronstadt, Kathy Kallick, Dale Ann Bradley and Nadine Landry all contribute harmony vocals - the most notable creative connection is between Lewis and Rozum. They started performing together in 1987 when he joined her band Grant Street, a talent-laden combo that boosted the careers of string experts like banjo player Tony Furtado and guitarist Scott Nygaard. But after a serious car wreck in Arizona in 1994, the sudden confrontation with mortality led Lewis and Rozum to focus on honing the duo act they'd long thought about pursuing.

 

"We felt like it was something we wanted to do, and knowing everything could be over at any time, we made it a priority," Lewis says.

 

Released under both their names, their first post-crash album "The Oak and the Laurel" (Rounder) earned a 1996 Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Folk Album. Showcasing their restrained high lonesome harmonies, they explored classic old-time tunes by the Louvin Brothers, the Carter Family and Peter Rowan with a cast of string stars including Mike Marshall, Nina Gerber and Darol Anger.

 

Keenly aware that each gig is a singular communion they've thrived in each other's company ever since, whether performing with Lewis's Bluegrass Pals, working in a duo format, interpreting bluegrass standards or playing Lewis's originals. And that's something to be very thankful for.

 

Blossoms ~ CD Reviews

 

County Sales Newsletter #308 ~ October 2010

It has been a while since we have seen a new album by Laurie Lewis, but this one is certainly a fine addition to her previous work. The recording hits full force right from track 1 with a lovely unaccompanied rendition of How Can I Keep From Singing.

Other really notable cuts include the traditional Beaver Creek with Laurie's fiddling backed by Craig Smith on banjo and Tom Rozum on mandolin, plus a superb Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Branch, with Laurie's fiddling here backed by Brittany Haas' second fiddle and the cello playing of Tristan Claridge (he of Crooked Still fame). No producer credits are listed (we assume it is Ms. Lewis), but the arrangements are excellent and Laurie has wisely called on some superior musicians for backing., including David Grier (guitar), Todd Phillips (bass), Tim O'Brien and Darol Anger. A very nice record here that showcases Laurie's fine, soulful singing.

 

Steven Stone ~ Vintage Guitar Magazine, January, 2011

Laurie Lewis is a bluegrass pioneer, and her latest release showcases the breadth of her musical talent-singing, songwriting, and playing guitar and fiddle.

 

Lewis enlists the help of long-time musical partner Tom Rozum on mandolin, octave mandolin, and vocals. The roster also includes David Grier, Nina Gerber, and Scott Huffman on guitar, Roy Rogers on slide guitar; Alex Hargreaves, Brittany Haas, and Darol Anger on fiddles.

 

The music on Blossoms isn't strictly bluegrass. Instead, it's a celebration of diversity with spirituals such as "How Can I Keep From Singing?", followed by folkier songs such as Kate MacLeod's "Lark in the Morning." Lewis' original songs go from winsome ballads such as "Chains of Letters" to Carribean-flavored rap songs like "Cool Your Jets,' which features 'Car Talk" brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi contributing spoken parts. In between are the dual fiddle instrumental "Sophie's House" and an a cappella rendition of "Return to the Fire."

 

Blossoms serves as a wonderful introduction for new Lewis fans and a big ol' hug for long-timers.

 

Michael Parrish (San Jose, CA) ~ Driftwood

After nearly a decade of bluegrass and duo albums, Laurie Lewis's Blossoms sees her returning to the singer/songwriter format, blending sensitive and playful originals with some inspired covers. The disc opens with a lush a cappella version of "How Can I Keep From Singing" sung by Lewis, Kathy Kallick, and longtime partner Tom Rozum. Kate MacLeod's wistful "Lark in the Morning" is a natural for Lewis to cover; it features an interesting blend of banjo, violin, mandola and cello. Other covers include a faithful rendition of Kate Wolf's "Unfinished Life" and a rocking version of Johnny Cash's "Train of Love" that features Roy Rogers on slide guitar. Lewis' strong suit has always been writing about relationships. Here, she revisits lost love with "Chains of Letters," reflects on a partnership filled with challenges in "The Roughest Road," and considers the impermanence of life in "Here Today," which she penned with Scott Huffman. She ventures into vocal jazz with the playful "Cool Your Jets," which features the Burns sisters and a cameo by NPR's Tom and Ray Magliozzi. The lush disc closer, "Sirens," finds Lewis working with a combo that includes piano, trombone, and saxophone. The disc's most elegant piece is "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch," a Wendell Berry poem that Lewis fitted to a brisk melody and a stirring fiddle riff. Several years in the making,Blossoms was well worth the wait.

 

Stephanie P. Ledgin ~ Sing Out! Summer 2010

Captivating from its opening notes, Blossoms continues the exceptional level of excellence Laurie Lewis has maintained throughout her career. Joining her are many outstanding musicians and vocalists, among them Tom Rozum, Kathy Kallick, the Burns Sisters, Darol Anger, Alex Hargreaves, Todd Phillips and Tim O'Brien, to name but a few.

 

Looking to the repertoire of Pete Seeger, Lewis, Kallick and Rozum open the recording a cappella with "How Can I Keep From Singing?" setting the tone for this outstanding selection of 14 cuts, most of which are originals. It is Laurie's voice alone, solemnly singing "Return to the Fire," her nod to Vietnam veterans. For her instrumental "Sophie's House," Lewis has recruited Suzy Thompson to twin fiddle, no other instrumentation used. This is followed in sequence by the only other instrumental on the CD, "Beaver Creek," where Craig Smith picks banjo alongside Laurie's fiddle and Rozum's mandolin, giving a bright delivery on the traditional piece.

 

With mature, powerfully expressive vocals, Laurie easily switches her emotive voice to suit the occasion. From the lively "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch" to the reflective "Here Today" to showing off a humorous bent, singing with the Burns Sisters on "Cool Your Jets," written while stuck in a traffic jam, she embraces faithfully each subject at hand. A past love is revealed in her touching "Chains of Letters."

 

Lewis includes the exquisite "Unfinished Life," from the pen of the prolific Kate Wolf, one of her inspirations. "Lark in the Morning" by Kate MacLeod is also wonderfully portrayed.

With its instrumentation and guest musicians, this CD will not disappoint Laurie's bluegrass fans. Yet this project reaches far beyond, into the indistinct realm of folk, Americana and cutting-edge singer-songwriter. Blossoms is a stunning release, filled with extraordinary originality and musicality.

 

Mike Thomas ~ Accoustic Guitar

One of the contemporary acoustic music scene's most skilled and enduring performers returns with a diverse 14-song set that manages to both ring soothingly familiar and expand the artist's parameters in rewarding new directions. Longtime listeners steeped in Lewis's formidable catalog of bluegrass (both traditional and "newgrass") and poignant folk balladry will slip into gems such as "The Roughest Road" and the gospel-kissed a cappella opening track "How Can I Keep From Singing?" like a treasured old pair of scuffed and supple leather boots. Less predictable but no less compelling are tracks like "Cool Your Jets," a finger-poppin', jazzy groover that features a cameo recitation by none other than National Public Radio's beloved "Click and Clack," Ray and Tom Magliozzi. Also from a bit outside the box come "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch," a chamber-folk jewel performed on two violins and cello, and the set-closing "Sirens," a sophisticated, cross-genre ballad with guest vocals from Noe Venable. As always, Lewis, who anchors the proceedings on acoustic rhythm guitar and fiddles up a storm throughout, surrounds herself with a sterling supporting cast that includes guitarists David Grier and Nina Gerber, fiddler Darol Anger, mandolinist Tom Rozum, and singers Kathy Kallick and Tim O'Brien.

Maurice Hope ~ Flyinshoes Review

Boy, oh boy, what a beautiful album this is! From the stunning opening a cappella piece 'How Can I Keep From Singing?' the benchmark for the album is set to never waver. Although the final track, 'Sirens' isn't something I'm too enamoured with. However, the music previous to it features a feast of good stuff that borders on faultless.

There aren't too many acts brave enough and, who could set away an album with such conviction. Plus with her old friend Kathy Kallick with whom she goes back to when they were in the Good Ol' Persons and regular Tom Rozum in tow the arrangements are most exquisite.

 

What makes Lewis so special? For one her music crosses boundaries with ease akin to a kid crossing the street as folk, country and bluegrass merge into one. Two; she is a wonderful fiddle player, guitarist, vocalist and knows how to make an album that combines not only the above categories yet a smattering of other flavours too without losing focus.

While she pens the majority of tunes, and why not since she is a great songwriter Lewis also finds room for 'Lark In The Morning' from fellow singer-songwriter Kate MacLeod, to which she does justice. While with her excelling on twin-fiddle (w/ Brittany Hass) a poem by Wendell Berry 'Burley Coulter's Song For Helen Branch' is converted into a song you could easily take as a Lewis original. Such the fashion it unerringly skips along, and has her sing as good as at any time on the album.

Like a few more Laurie takes time to acknowledge the work of California's late pioneering singer-songwriter, Kate Wolf on covering her song 'Unfinished Life'. A song deep in melodic hues a great beauty is registered as Rozum helps out on harmony vocals alongside Alex Hargreaves (fiddle), Todd Philips (bass), fresh from working with Joan Baez and the impeccable acoustic guitar of David Grier. By way of increasing her ratio of fiddle playing on the album Lewis includes two splendid instrumentals; her own 'Sophie's House' (a twin-fiddle piece with an act I am unfamiliar, Suzy Thompson) and traditional tune 'Beaver Creek' that features her banjo player Craig Smith. While 'Return The Fire' is another a cappella track and, like in the past it has Lewis take up something she is most passionate about. This time it is in the form of Vietnam Veterans, then to give some light and shade 'Here Today' has a fabulous lilt as Tom Rozum (mandolin, vocals) Patrick Sauber (banjo, vocals) and her co-writing partner and also band member Scott Huffman on vocals entwine with lush fiddle (Chad Manning) and upright bass (Andrew Conklin). Her use of a couple of phrases from an old gospel tune fit perfectly as once again she strikes top form!

With Johnny Cash's 'Train Of Love' (recorded for a Johnny Cash tribute) burning up the tracks as fiddle (Darol Anger) and the dazzling slide guitar of Roy Rogers and the boys -that include Billy Lee Lewis (drums) plus the pure heart-tugging 'Chains Of Letters' that sees guitarist Nina Gerber pick some fabulous notes and the acoustic bass of Todd Sickafoose lend sympathetic support Lewis' true to life lyrics register deep into the mind of the listener.

The late Kate Wolf may be reaping plaudits and, quite rightly so as California's finest ever of her kind, but Laurie Lewis has a bunch of songs equal to them!

As a variation, the entertaining 'Cool Your Jets' and the marathon affair 'Sirens' find a home alongside 'The Roughest Road' (with Tim O'Brien on vocals) and a sombre 'Tell Me True' that was previously on Birdsong. A benefit recording for Audubon Canyon Ranch (a bird sanctuary in Northern California) like with the 'Cool Your Jets' that also has spoken word from NPR's Tom and Ray Magliozzi the beautiful harmony vocals of the Burns Sisters adorn it like blossom fruit trees in spring.

Blossoms is a must buy for fans of acoustic singer-songwriter recordings, and a good place to start for those unfamiliar with Laurie and friends who accompany her.

 

Live ~ CD Reviews

 

Pete Milano, Bluegrassconnection.com
This is Laurie's' first live recording and based on the quality and performance it is long overdue. A top-notch group performs 18 songs of great music. If you have not heard a Laurie Lewis performance then this CD is a MUST. No disappointments here.

 

Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette
LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS, Live (Spruce & Maple Music) The terrific fiddler, singer and bandleader comes through with one of the best live bluegrass albums of recent years. ****

Steven Stone, Vintage Guitar
"Live has all the clarity and dynamism of a studio recording but with that extra spark that only happens during a live performance... Listening to this, folks at home will havealmost as much fun as the crowd at the show."  

 

JACK BERNHARDT, Correspondent, News and Observer

Golden West ~ CD Reviews

 

Stephanie Ledgin, Sing Out! Magazine

Fiddler Laurie Lewis is a seasoned musician that has gathered equally adroit picking companions for her Right Hands band on this latest recording. Long-time partner Tom Rozum is alongside on mandolin, as is award-winning bass player Todd Phillips, who has worked with lewis for the last decade. Guitarist Scott Huffman and banjo player Craig Smith come by way of North Carolina, where they used to pick together. A natural spontaneity within this ensemble is evident from the very first cut.

Lewis shows incredible prowess and maturity not only on the fiddle, but in her exceptional writing. The album opens with an original bluegrass number, "Your Eyes," in which Lewis' vocal delivery mixes pizzaz with coy theatrics. It's a killer.

 

She exposes the very private side as well as astounding emotional depth in her composition "A Hand to Hold." Guest Linda Ronstadt steps in to harmonize with Lewis' expressive voice, as she and Rozum also do on the solemn "Rank Stranger."

 

Huffman possesses one of those wonderful Southern drawl-inflected voices, the kind that drips with down-home warmth. He contributes an original, "Hard Luck in Heaven," in which he queries the mighty powers-that-be if his luck will be any different up above. Fellow Tar Heel Smith jumps right into the mix, driving the spotlight at all the right moments throughout the CD.

 

A real gem is "Mourning Cloak," a murder ballad about love, betrayal, and a butterfly, hence its title. Another treasure is the seldom heard "Before the Sun Goes Down," from the Jimmy Martin catalog. As spirited as the opening track is, serene and sad is the final, sensitive rendition fo John Hartford's "Goodbye Waltz."

 

Surpassing her previous outstanding recordings, Lewis has reached a new pinnacle. The Golden West represents some of the best work ever from Laurie lewis. Highly recommended.

 

Maverick, January 2007

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands

The Golden West

****

"Both understated and striking music, played and sung with devotion and urgency"

 

Laurie Lewis, a key figure in helping female musicians break into the traditionally male-dominated bluegrass genre, is an exceptional, versatile fiddler and a singer blessed with a smooth, musical voice. Despite her long identification with bluegrass music, Lewis also embraces many other forms of acoustic music, including folk, blues, country, Cajun, Tex-Mex, you name it, in her repertoire. For this latest album with her five-piece band the Right Hands, she keeps t a more basic, traditional bluegrass, mountain style. It is very much a band-album, with long associate Tom Rozum (mandolin, mandola) sharing lead vocals, guitarist Scott Huffman contributing to the vocals and also writing Hard Luck in Heaven. The band is completed by banjoist Craig Smith and string bass player Todd Phillips. Together they provide a driving sound when required- Bill Monroe's title tune- or slower, emotional picking as on John Hartford's Goodbye Waltz.

 

The charm and beauty of both folk and bluegrass is at the forefront of every song. There's a neat rendition of Billy Joe Shaver's Live Forever- a song that's becoming something of a bluegrass staple- with Scott providing the lead vocal and Laurie and Tom joining in on harmonies. Linda Ronstadt adds harmony vocals to the well-known Rank Stranger and Laurie's self-penned A Hand to Hold. The latter is a lengthy six-minute opus, but the sheer beauty of the vocalising, sensitive accompaniment and evocative lyrics make for a stunning track. Showing the diversity of this talented band, they dig way in time for Jimmie Rodger's 99 Year Blues, and add the more recent Kate Campbell-penned Bury Me in Bluegrass and Jimmie Dale Gilmore's River Under the Road. It all adds up t exceptional rootsy music that should appeal t old timey and bluegrass fans alike.

 

 

 

15 November 2006

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS

The Golden West : Hightone Records HCD 8194 Prod: Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands (52:53) - *****

Your Eyes / Burley Coulter s Song For Kate Helen Branch / 99 Year Blues / Before The Sun Goes Down / Live Forever /Rank Stranger /Bury Me In Bluegrass / The Golden West / A Hand To Hold / River Under The Road / Hard Luck In Heaven / The Mourning Clock / Goodbye Waltz

 

Laurie Lewis, a consummate musician, talented song writer and instantly recognisable vocalist has won numerous awards in the field of bluegrass music. She has been instrumental in bringing the style of music which originated in Kentucky to the West Coast, where she has been based for much of her life, and for the past thirty years or so she has been most insistent that those with whom she tours and records are as professional as she is herself. In short, Ms Lewis is a perfectionist and expects nothing but the best from those she works with. Well, The Right Hands, Tom Rozum, mandolinist, who has been with Laurie for the past twenty years and has recorded three duet albums with her, Todd Phillips, bassist, who joined Laurie in 1996 and produced the Grammy Award winning True Life Blues: a Tribute to Bill Monroe , which included a contribution from her, Craig Smith, an outstanding guitarist who first worked with Laurie in the mid-70 s before relocating to North Carolina, and Scott Huffman, a notable banjoist who has worked with Smith for some twenty five years, collectively live up to Laurie s expectations. This latest album came about following a short Alaskan tour when the five of them secreted themselves for three days in a Washington recording studio. They each brought some of their favourite songs to the table and whenever there was unanimous agreement they would work out an arrangement and set about recording it, so the choice of material was very much a collective agreement.

 

There is the sort of fluidity in musicianship which comes when a group of highly proficient musicians who understand each other so well get together for a short, concentrated span, so absolutely no criticism in this department. Apart from Laurie, both Tom Rozum and Scott Huffman are extremely good vocalists in their own right and so lead vocals are shared between them. Laurie sounds particularly sassy on the opening track, Your Eyes , one of her original songs; a delightful delivery and rather different in style to what one has generally come to expect of her. She leads off again on Before The Sun Goes Down , a Jimmy Martin composition, and is joined by Linda Ronstadt on Albert Brumley s Rank Stranger and another of Laurie s originals, the beautiful A Hand To Hold which must surely be the highlight of the entire album. Laurie also takes lead vocal on The Mourning Clock and duets with Tom Rozum on the closing track, the plaintive Goodbye Waltz , written by the late John Hartford.

 

Scott stands centre stage for Burley Coulter s Song For Kate Helen Branch , Billy Joe Shaver s Live Forever and the wry Hard Luck In Heaven , one of his own compositions, while Tom Rozum leads on the old Jimmie Rodgers classic 99 Year Blues , Bury Me In Bluegrass , written by Kate Campbell, and the Ana Egge/Jimmie Dale Gilmore number River Under The Road . >From very early in life Laurie was totally smitten by Bill Monroe and it was largely through listening to his music that she immersed herself in traditional bluegrass, so it is only fitting that the title track, The Golden West , the only instrumental, was written by Monroe.

 

From start to finish one can get a sense of the pure enjoyment which these five artists themselves derived in recording this album. Great musicianship, strong vocals, excellent two and three part harmonies and a democratically selected programme of songs upon which all five agreed. Maybe not the standard way in which an album is recorded these days, but this time it all works perfectly.

 

From Country Standard Time ~

Laurie Lewis The Golden West 2006 (HighTone)

Reviewed by Tim FitzPatrick

Laurie Lewis has always been good at adding her own twist to the familiar. This knack is immediately apparent in the opening "Your Eyes" in which we hear bluegrass fiddle and banjo rolls underneath phases such as "Svengali" and "luminous orbs."

 

Lewis shares lead singing with longtime collaborator Tom Rozum and guitarist Scott Huffman. The three voices combine with particularly good effect on through Kate Campbell's "Bury Me in Bluegrass." Linda Ronstadt lends her voice to the wistful "A Hand to Hold" and brings a credible edge to the tenor part on "Rank Stranger."

 

Rounding out the "Right Hands" are Todd Phillips and Craig Smith. Phillips' bass playing provides a steady anchor. Smith has a distinctively sparse banjo style, which serves the band well. While much of the instrumentation is understated, the ensemble cooks on the Bill Monroe instrumental "The Golden West" and has fun with the bouncy "Before the Sun Goes Down."

 

From the raucous "99 Year Blues" to Rozum and Lewis' graceful duet of John Hartford's Goodbye Waltz, the project provides a pleasant mix of originals, classics and contemporary covers.

 

 

Tom Geddie / Buddy Magazine (Dallas)

Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands "The Golden West" (HighTone, 2006)

The gently bluegrass version of Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever" sung by Scott Huffman is worth the purchase price of The Golden West by Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands.

 

Lewis is a two-time female vocalist of the year in the International Bluegrass Music Association and a fiddle player raised in the San Francisco folk scene when the 1960s reluctantly turned into the 1970s. Befitting the bluegrass tradition, she shares vocals on this CD with bandmates Tom Rozum (mandolin and mandola) and Huffman (guitar). Craig Smith (banjo) and Todd Phillips (string bass) round out the band.

 

Huffman's version of the Shaver song is a simple, masterful interpretation that is both true to and expands upon the original with banjo, fiddle, harmony vocals and his own North Carolina twang.

 

Mixing in a handful of originals during a three-day recording session in Washington state, the "newgrass" band, on 13 songs, also shares its takes on Jimmy Martin's "Before The Sun Goes Down," Albert Brumley's "Rank Stranger" (made famous by the Stanley Brothers), John Hartford's "Goodbye Waltz", Ana Egge, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Sarah Brown's "River Under The Road" and the title song by Bill Monroe. They also turn Wendell Berry's poem "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch" into a fine remembrance of a country dance.

 

 

Joe Sixpack's guide to Hillbilly Music/Slipcue

Wow... what a great record -- one of the best bluegrass albums of '06! If you like plain, simple, and sincerely twangy truegrass, filtered through a West Coast/Northern California sensibility which keeps things real and rootsy, but doesn't simply go through the motions of genuflecting at the temple of rigid, "high lonesome" traditionalism, well, then this is an album you'll want to check out. Lewis and longtime cohort Tom Rozum lead this laid-back, no-nonsense quintet, playing a nice mix of original songs and well-chosen covers. Guitarist Scott Huffman contributes one song (and fine harmony vocals on others) while Lewis adds two more; the remainder of the album embraces music by Albert Brumley, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, John Hartford, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Jimmie Rodgers and Billy Joe Shaver... I mean, geez... how could you go wrong The answer is, you can't. This is a mighty fine set, from start to finish, filled with one heartfelt, effective performance after another. Highly recommended!

 

 

From East Bay Express...

Rural Bluegrass Fiddling

Nobody in bluegrass fiddles or sings with more feeling than Berkeley's own Laurie Lewis. A founder of the all-women old-timey band Good Ol' Persons a good three decades ago, she's now the sole woman in her amazing quintet the Right Hands. They celebrate the release of their first CD, The Golden West (on Oakland's rock-solid HighTone label), this week at the Freight & Salvage. Their repertoire mixes Lewis' rural California take on life and love with other songs by Billy Joe Shaver and John Hartford. On the CD, Lewis' occasional stage partner Linda Ronstadt duets on a couple of songs. Thursday, August 31. 8 p.m., $18.50/$19.50 door. TheFreight.org (Larry Kelp)

 

Party with Laurie Lewis at Freight and Salvage

~ Jim Harrington

IT'S ALWAYS a party when Berkeley's own Laurie Lewis plays a hometown show at the Freight and Salvage Coffee House. When she hits the stage tonight, however, it will be a party with a purpose.

 

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands are celebrating the release of their brand-new CD, "The Golden West," at this show. The East Bay native's album is being put out by, appropriately enough, Oakland's own HighTone label.

 

Fans will surely get a heaping dose of songs from "The Golden West," but they'll also get many of the classic tunes that have made this talented veteran such a house favorite at the Freight and Salvage over the years.

 

But it's not just the fine folks at the Freight and Salvage who like Lewis. The vocalist-fiddler has garnered her share of national recognition during her career, including a Grammy and two International Bluegrass Music Association Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year.

 

Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $18.50. The Freight and Salvage is at 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. Call (510) 548-1761 or visit http://www.thefreight.org.

 

 

From the Contra Costa Times

Start the weekend off right by catching Laurie Lewis tonight at the Freight. Lewis, the East Bay's answer to Alison Krauss (she can fiddle and sing like a dream) is celebrating a new CD, "The Golden West," with a few of her favorite bandmates and collaborates. A sure-fire fun time. Details: 8 p.m., 1111 Addison St., Berkeley, $18.50 advance/$19.50 door, 510-548-1761, www.thefreight.org.

 

By Bob Strauss, Film Critic

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS: "The Golden West"

(High-tone)

Basically a bluegrass album named after a Bill Monroe instrumental, Lewis' latest brings a looser, more celebratory sensibility to the old mountain sound. Call it California coolgrass, if you must, but don't mistake it for laid-back. Trading vocals with mandolinist (and longtime duet partner) Tom Rozum and guitarist Scott Huffman, fiddler Lewis breathes crisp air into standards like Jimmy Martin's "Before the Sun Goes Down" and Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever." Linda Ronstadt lends harmonies on a couple of tracks, too. In stores Tuesday (Lewis appears tonight at McCabe's in Santa Monica).

 

 

From Ron Warnick

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands, "The Golden West" (HighTone) - The slight raggedness in the singing suggests the songs were recorded in one or two takes, or the members are showing their age. But the performances, such as "99 Year Blues," "Bury Me in Bluegrass," "Rank Strangers" and "Live Forever," sound natural and lived-in. Grade: A-

 

JOSH LOVE, Correspondent, News and Observer, Raleigh, NC

* BLUEGRASS | Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, "The Golden West" ****

Into the 1970s, bluegrass music was a man's world, following the pattern established by Bill Monroe in 1945. Women have changed the formula since then, bringing a new perspective and a softer touch to the high lonesome sound.

 

Laurie Lewis, a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and fiddler, has made some of the most important contributions of the past 20 years. Growing up in California's Bay Area, she was free from the rules that define bluegrass music in the Southeast, and she incorporates folk, country and blues into songs that are graceful, witty, warm.

 

With Lewis fronting her superb quartet, the Right Hands, "The Golden West" (Hightone) has it all. Lewis gives a woman's slant to the swagger of Jimmy Martin's "Before the Sun Goes Down," and in her own "A Hand to Hold," she turns to nature to reflect on bittersweet memories of love grown cold.

 

Lewis is a generous bandleader. Thomasville native Scott Huffman (guitar) sings lead on three songs, including Billy Joe Shaver's "Live Forever" and his own "Hard Luck in Heaven." Tom Rozum (mandolin) is out front on Jimmie Rodgers' "99 Year Blues" and Kate Campbell's "Bury Me in Bluegrass." And Winston-Salem's Craig Smith applies his banjo wizardry throughout.

 

The male voices provide robust counterpoint to Lewis' sprightly soprano on songs as diverse as the Stanley Brothers' "Rank Stranger" (with Linda Ronstadt singing harmony), the contemporary old-time ballad "The Mourning Cloak," Lewis' cleverly upbeat "Your Eyes" and John Hartford's "Goodbye Waltz," performed as an album-closing duet with Rozum.

 

 

Kerry Dexter is a senior contributing editor at FolkWax

Lewis, Laurie
The Golden West

Traditional Bluegrass And Not

Laurie Lewis takes the title of her latest release (The Golden West) from a Bill Monroe tune. While it is an acknowledgment of the father of Bluegrass, it's also a nod to the Western style of Bluegrass that Lewis has worked in for three decades now. Hard to believe it has been that long. Lewis has a gift for fresh arrangements and quality songwriting that help move the genre forward in all directions. She also has a respect for, and knowledge of, the tradition and a quality to her clear and flexible voice that makes her sound at once contemporary and timeless.

 

The Right Hands do their part in this, too. Lewis' longtime musical partner Tom Rozum plays mandolin, Craig Smith is on banjo, Scott Huffman handles guitar, Lewis is on fiddle, and Todd Phillips plays string bass. They trade leads, harmonies, and instrumental breaks on a baker's dozen of varied songs that they recorded in a three-day marathon at Sage Arts in Washington State. The camaraderie and the musical risk taking of those live sessions come through in the energy on the tracks.

 

In addition to the Monroe tune, the music includes three Lewis originals and one by Huffman, as well as Anna Egge and Jimmie Dale Gilmore's "River Under the Road," Kate and Ira Campbell's "Bury Me in Bluegrass," Jimmie Rogers' "99 Year Blues," and Jimmy Martin's "Before the Sun Goes Down." Linda Ronstadt adds backing vocals on the old-time hymn "Rank Stranger" and the Lewis original "A Hand to Hold."

 

 

DISClaimer

Robert K. Oermann

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS/Your Eyes

Writer: Laurie Lewis; Producer: Laurie Lewis/The Right Hands; Publisher: none listed; Hightone (track) (www.laurielewis.com)

-I'm a Laurie Lewis fan from way back, so I always look forward to her collections. The new The Golden West CD leads off with this breezy ode to falling in love. As usual, her fiddling is sparkling and her singing is packed with personality. For more of the former, check out the title tune instrumental, written by Bill Monroe.

 

Nashville City Paper online

Riffs - an online music column

By Ron Wynn, rwynn@nashvillecitypaper.com

September 29, 2006

The charm and beauty of both folk and bluegrass is at the forefront on every song from The Golden West (Hightone), a glorious 13-song set from Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands (which they also produced). Whether they re covering bluegrass and country classics like Bill Monroe s title track and Billy Joe Shaver s Live Forever or doing originals such as Lewis Your Eyes and A Hand To Hold, each song is performed in an elegant and poignant manner, with Lewis, mandolin and mandola player Tom Rozum or guitarist Scott Huffman dividing lead and harmony vocal duties. Special guest Linda Rondstadt adds soothing backgrounds to Rank Stranger and A Hand To Hold, while Laurie Lewis is the lone voice heard on The Mourning Cloak, and Huffman s best singing comes on Live Forever and Hard Luck in Heaven. This is both understated and striking music, played and sung with devotion and urgency.

 

 

Pamela Murray Winters, The Washington Post

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS"The Golden West"HighTone

LAURIE LEWIS SAYS, "There's a really good case to be made that bluegrass is simply a singer-songwriter and a string band." When she's the singer-songwriter, as on "Your Eyes," the opener to "The Golden West," Lewis showcases the surprises in that approach. Against a traditional, if mellow, string band backdrop, she delivers tartly modern lyrics, telling someone to "don your shades" because "you can't look at me the way you do and not expect me to fall for you." Ultimately, she ditches the rhyme scheme altogether to shake her head: "You're some kind of Svengali or somethin'."

 

Lewis and her latest band, the Right Hands, roam the range of bluegrass. They chase "Your Eyes" with "Burley Coulter's Song for Kate Helen Branch," an elegant piece that's suggestive of an English country dance with a slightly American swing. Lewis's masterful fiddling and nostalgic lyrics by poet Wendell Berry add to its elegance, proving, if there are still doubts afoot, that a distinctive North Carolina twang like Scott Huffman's needn't be consigned to the corncrib.

 

This team can deliver the classics as well. "99 Year Blues," a Jimmie Rodgers yodeler, is carried by the strong tenor of Tom Rozum, whose "hee-hees" could as easily be rueful laughs as self-deprecating sobs. The sweetly mournful "Rank Stranger," associated with the Stanley Brothers, has Linda Ronstadt joining Rozum on soulful backing vocals. But the songs never lose their wry irreverence: On his "Hard Luck in Heaven," Huffman quips that when the angels hand out the instruments, his will probably be sharp. There's nothing here to shock anyone but the most dogmatic bluegrass purist, but there's plenty to provide a few steppingstones from other genres -- singer-songwriter, Anglo-Celtic folk and jam-band instrumental -- toward the mainstream.

 

=================

So you got turned on to bluegrass music when the soundtrack to "O

Brother, Where Art Thou?" became a huge hit a few years ago. Outside

of Alison Krauss, little of the bluegrass was by anyone still alive –

or at least younger than, say, 75.

 

And so you're a little bummed to have discovered this incredible

music style that doesn't seem to have much of a future.

 

Disgruntled bluegrass fan, meet Laurie Lewis. Possessed of as

gorgeous a set of pipes as Ms. Krauss, perhaps a better fiddle player

and writer of even better songs – songs that will be played as long

as there are bluegrass bands to play them – Lewis is the balm to calm

any heart excited by bluegrass and needing a fix.

 

Her new album is full of the kind of virtuosic playing and great

songs we've come to expect from Lewis. Longtime musical partner Tom

Rozum has a nice tenor voice, not so far off from Ricky Skaggs' – and

he plays as mean a mandolin as Skaggs, too. Guitarist Scott Huffman

provides yet a third sterling voice (a smooth baritone, in this

case), while banjoist Craig Smith and bass player Todd Phillips round

out the band's remarkable sound.

 

It is a sound that is completely steeped in tradition, yet one that

upholds that tradition through aggressive, in-your-face playing. This

is no passive museum piece, but living, breathing, vital bluegrass –

beholden to and respectful of the past, but grounded in the here and

now, and reaching for the future.

~ Jim Trageser, North County Times, Jan. 4, 2007

 

LAURIE LEWIS & THE RIGHT HANDS

The Golden West

HighTone/Festival

 

While Laurie Lewis, for three decades a stellar bluegrass fiddler and

singer, is certainly this CD’s star attraction, The Golden West is

very much a total band effort. Each of the five musicians contributes

essential elements to the overall sound and Lewis hands off half the

lead vocals to the more-than-capable voices of mandolinist Tom Rozum

and guitarist Scott Huffman. Lewis sounds great singing Your Eyes, an

up-tempo number with an irresistible vocal and instrumental

arrangement, and the gorgeous A Hand to Hold, one of two songs

featuring Linda Ronstadt’s harmonies. Rozum and Huffman respectively

shine on Jimmie Rodgers’s 99 Year Blues and Billy Joe Shaver’s Live

Forever. The Golden West is as satisfying a bluegrass album as was

released in 2006. ****

 

~Mike Regenstreif, Montreal Gazette, Jan. 4, 2007

Guest House ~ CD Reviews

 

Barnes & Noble
An acoustic treat, Guest House is furnished with a blend of styles rooted in ancient tones but boasting a contemporary glow in the seasoned hands of bluegrass innovators Laurie Lewis (fiddle, guitars, vocals) and Tom Rozum (vocals, mandolin, mandola, guitar). The pair dip into gospel, folk, bluegrass, and country, positioning well-turned original songs alongside well-chosen covers, both of which allow for plenty of hot pickin' and a dollop of introspective instrumental commentary. With a few select side players along for support, Lewis's frantic, album-opening ballad, "Willie Poor Boy," takes a page from Woody Guthrie in its compassionate approach to a beleaguered workingman's plight, and the acoustic instruments summon the sizzling spirit of Flatt & Scruggs. "Tramps and Hawkers," a deliberately paced, somber tale of a drifter's yearning for the land and people he must sadly leave behind, tugs extra hard at the heartstrings when Lewis adds poignant, keening fiddle support to Rozum's melancholy vocal. Bill Monroe's life story inspired the toe-tapping, banjo- and fiddle-fired epic "O My Malissa," which is paired with a version of the Monroe Brothers' "How Old Are You?" in an inspired moment of vocal and instrumental transcendence. An album so rich in authoritative picking, though, finds its most powerful moment in the a cappella voices harmonizing on "Quiet Hills," a hymnlike testimony to faith in the future in the midst of a bleak present. Toss in a spirited rendition of the evergreen "Old Dan Tucker" and a jubilant rendition of a Perry Como landmark, "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," and this Guest House is full up -- with a surfeit of good things. David McGee

 

Originally published April 8, 2004
by Jedd Beaudoin

 

Bluegrassville.com
This CD jumps out at you from the first beat of the first song. Wow!

You just can't beat Laurie Lewis. What a pure and clear voice. Willie Poor Boy, the first song on this CD comes across with so much power that you will want to replay it even before listening to the rest of the CD.

If you want to sing along with these songs, Laurie has lyrics on her site for this CD and of course you can purchase the CD there too. See the link below for purchase.

The songs here move from high powered bluegrass song of Willie Poor Boy, to the gospel arrangement of Quite Hills that you would expect to hear coming from Ralph Stanley, to a little rumba (Johnny & Jack), beat of Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes.

The harmony singing here is nothing less than perfect which also applies to the arrangements. All and all we have an excellent CD here that I definitely recommend to the traditionalists and comtemporary bluegrass music lovers alike.

Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum Guest House Hightone Records

 

By Christine LaPado Chico News and Reviews
Tom Rozum’s mandolin starts off his and vocalist/fiddler/guitarist Laurie Lewis’ latest CD, Guest House, properly, launching briskly into the sassy little Lewis original, “Willie Poor Boy.” From there, the Rozum and Lewis duo performs a very nice vocal duet on another Lewis original, the somewhat melancholy “Since You Went Away,” as well as a cover of the Hazel Dickens song “Scars from an Old Love”--a gorgeous, tear-jerking, show-stealer of a song--showcasing Lewis’ beautiful voice, complete with touches of her lovely yodel. On “Quiet Hills,” Rozum and bassist Todd Sickafoose’s back-up bluegrass vocal harmonies are deep and perfect, and the final track, a medley of traditional tunes, “Wild Rose of the Mountain”/ “The Devil Chased Me Around the Mountain”/“Glory at the Meeting House,” arranged by Lewis, Rozum and Sickafoose, is a long instrumental (7 minutes 37 seconds) that is just the right length--it’s that good.

 

Bluegrass Unlimited/Julie Koehler
It's been a while since I've heard Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum-entirely my fault, not theirs. Listening to their latest CD, "Guest House," I'm struck by the comfort level this West Coast duo has developed over the years. In an age of here today, gone tomorrow, commitment and steadfastness clearly have value, as evidenced in these 13 tracks.

 

Certainly, the soul of any Lewis/Rozum album is Laurie's exquisite fiddling and Tom's brightly poignant mandolin playing. Like a perfectly executed pas de deux, their instruments dance together, in and out of the spotlight, giving strength and continuity to each melody. And if the instruments are the soul of the music, vocals are its heart. Laurie's lead singing has warmth, power, and maturity; while young voices may learn the words, Lewis conveys each song's meaning. (Listen to the heartbreaking ballad "Scars From An Old Love.") Tom's harmony blends flawlessly and is arranged for their unique style, supporting from below Laurie's higher melody and giving the songs a deeply-rooted, solidly-anchored feeling.

 

Material on "Guest House" glides easily through several arenas-social commentaries; slow, beautiful ballads; familiar old friends ("Old Dan Tucker," "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes"); fun, bouncy tunes ("Alaska," "O My Malissa/How Old Are You?"); a haunting a cappella number; and a lengthy instrumental medley that smokes as it closes the album. The selections work well as a single body of work, moving from thought-provoking to toe-tapping, heart-wrenching to smile-inducing.Adding to the richness of "Guest House" are several high-powered West Coast musicians-Todd Sickafoose (bass), Craig Smith and Tom Sauber (banjo), Scott Huffman (guitar), Nina Gerber (lead guitar), and Mike Marshall (mandocello, guitar)-giving Lewis and Rozum lots of arrangement possibilities, resulting in a duo album with the fullness of a band. Works for me. (Hightone Records, 220 4th St. #101, Oakland, CA 94607, www.hightone.com.)JK

 

Bluegrassworks.com/ Joe Ross
The title of the third duet album from Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum was inspired by the 13th C. Persian poet, mystic and religious scholar Jalal al-Din Rumi. Like bluegrass music, the “Guest House” of humanity is wrought with various emotions from joy to sorrow, depression to delight. Laurie and Tom also have an affinity for old-time and folk music in their songs full of love, advice and caution. Besides her own the originals, the duo covers a couple by Hazel Dickens (”My Heart’s Own Love” and ”Scars From an Old Love”) and others by Claudia Schmidt, Si Kahn, Slim Willet, Liz Meyer, Jim Ringer, and Kate McLeod. The rollicking opener, “Willie Poor Boy,” is a sorrowful tale about an angry man with a gun whose rage lands him in prison. In a style reminiscent of The Louvins, “Since You Went Away” is an original country duet with understated arrangement but a catchy hook. “You can’t harvest any good when you sow bad seed” is the cautionary missive found in “Bad Seed.” An appealing Celtic melody is the foundation of Jim Ringer’s “Tramps and Hawkers.” There are other pleasant surprises – Rozum’s additional lyrics to “Old Dan Tucker”; a resurrection of the 1950s hit “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes”; the splendid four-part a cappella harmonies on Claudia Schmidt's “Quiet Hills”; the nearly 8-minute traditional fiddle tune medley that closes the album.

 

Laurie wrote “O My Malissa” after reading about courtship of Bill Monroe’s parents. It makes a seque into “How Old Are You?,” a fiddle tune learned from a recording of Bill, Charlie and Birch Monroe in 1969. This medley and “My Heart’s Own Love” feature the frailing banjo of Tom Sauber. Craig Smith’s bluegrass banjo embellishes six cuts. The other ccompanists include Todd Sickafoose (bass), Scott Huffman (guitar, 4 cuts), Nina Gerber (lead guitar, 2 cuts), Mike Marshall (mandocello on one cut, guitar on one cut). Laurie plays fiddle and guitar; Tom plays mandolin, mandola, and guitar.From Berkeley, Laurie got hooked on bluegrass in the 1960s and has played with many groups (Phantoms of the Opry, Good Ol’ Persons, Free Mexican Air Force, Vern Williams Band, Arkansas Shieks, Blue Rose, and Grant Street) before starting her own band in 1998. A two-time California State Women’s Fiddle Champion and two-time IBMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” (1992 and 1994), Laurie has also appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. Tom Rozum has worked with Lewis since 1986. He recently released his first solo album, “Jubilee,” and “Guest House” is actually their eighth overall album together. Lewis and Rozum recorded their first duet album in 1995. “The Oak and the Laurel” was nominated for a Grammy in 1996 for Best Traditional Folk Album. “Winter’s Grace” was put out in 1999.

 

The indefatigable Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum have a reputation for exciting musicianship. Their sound keeps hot fiddle, mandolin and duet singing in the forefront. They’re a little bit classic country, a tad bit folk, a skosh old-timey, and slightly bluegrass. This album is proof that they can expertly do it all. Their versatility gives this album a high degree of intrigue and charm. Yoga Journal/ J. Poet " A champion fiddler and superb vocalist, Lewis is also a gifted songwriter with the ability to look at the world as a deeply questioning seeker without denying any of its problems or inherent humor. On Guest House, she and longtime partner Tom Rozum (vocals, mandolin, mandola, guitar) explore the byways of the human heart and the vagaries of fate with a collection of timeless songs, old and new... The album's title comes from a poem by the Sufi poet Rumi that urges us to treat joy, sorrow, and depression as fleeting guests in the home of the heart, since every experience can open us to 'some new delight.' Lewis and Rozum have obviously taken his words to heart; every song here is full of an uplifting spirit that invites listeners to let their own inner light shine."

 

All Music Guide/Chris Nickson
All in all, a joyous, often lovely record.

There was a time when Laurie Lewis was seen as the queen of West Coast bluegrass, as if it was a different animal from Southern bluegrass. It's not, of course, and these days Lewis is recognized as one of the music's major practitioners. This showcases her vocal talents and puts her playing on the back burner, and she can certainly use her voice, especially on the two Hazel Dickens songs here, with "Scars from an Old Love" being so good you actually hold your breath during the song. That she's also a strong writer is demonstrated by three of her own compositions, with "O My Malissa" being the best, the tale of the courtship between the late great Bill Monroe's parents. It would be unfair to play down Tom Rozum's contributions, as he offers some scintillating mandolin work that's an absolute joy, and provides a perfect vocal foil for Lewis on tracks like "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" and "Since You Went Away." They both get to shine vocally on"Quiet Hills," an a cappella piece that's made of fragile beauty. Closing with an instrumental medley was a good cleansing idea, and everyone obviously has a glorious time with it, Lewis' fiddle work on the first piece atmospheric and moving. All in all, a joyous, often lovely record.

 

Nashville Public Radio/Dave Higg
“There's simply some magnificent and breathtaking music here from two of the finest singers/songwriters/instrumentalists in the known acoustic music world.”

 

FolkWax.com/Kerry Dexter
“Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum are one of the best acoustic duet combinations around, with just enough similarity in the range and tone of their voices to make the harmonies interesting and just enough difference to make things fascinating. That they are both topnotch instrumentalists, Lewis mainly on fiddle and Rozum primarily on mandolin, adds texture to the music they've chosen.”

 

minor7th.com/David Kleiner
“Lewis and Rozum set out to prove that their music can encompass the very big world of everything it means to be human and that it can heal. They succeed with flying fingers. They offer songs of affirmation, true love, urban violence and nostalgic humor. The musicianship throughout is impeccable, worthy of its pedigree. The "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, with its pure beauty and appeal to nostalgia, showed there is an audience for authentic American songs. In their music, Lewis and Rozum keep the beauty, honor the nostalgia, and find the relevance.”

 

LA Daily News/Bob Strauss
“Bluegrass legends Lewis and Rozum infuse a wide range of influences with an authentic, connecting mountain sound. Lots of dazzling acoustic virtuosity, too. ”

 

Allentown Call Chronicle/Geoff Gehman
“Guest House, the third duet recording for fiddler/singer/writer Laurie Lewis and mandolinist/singer Tom Rozum is a welcome home for bluegrass, newgrass and other visitors from mountain and holler. Lewis and Rozum sing with round-the-fire warmth and play with round-the-horn briskness. No wonder they’re admired by role models such as Hazel Dickens, whose “Scars from an Old Love” they treat with sad, tender wisdom.” Sacramento Bee/Jim Carnes: “If you don't like fiddles, banjos and mandolins, don't even give Guest House a spin. But if you like 'em, this latest release from Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum (their third together, but their first on High Tone Records) offers a mountain of them. Californian Lewis, one of the true stars of contemporary bluegrass music, was a pioneer in the genre - a non-Southern woman.” Vintage Guitar/Steven Stone: “Here, on their first Hightone release, they show why they are regarded by bluegrass intelligencia as the finest co-ed duo in the business... Although the sources span a wide musical gamut, Laurie and Tom manage to bridge the expanse easily, all the while making each selection uniquely their own. It's all too easy to run out of superlatives that properly describe the sublimity of Guest House. It's simply too good for words.”

 

Freighttrainboogie.com/Kevin Russell
“It's been nine years since this duo's 1995 Grammy nominated CD, The Oak & the Laurel, and the follow-up to that gorgeous piece of work was worth the wait. Tom & Laurie are at the top of their game here; mining vintage country material, contemporary folk music, new takes on old fiddle tunes and finely wrought originals – all laced with the instrumental virtuosity of bluegrass. And let's not forget those impossibly sweet vocals: equal parts the Stanley & the Everly Brothers. A great record.”

 

F5/Jedd Beaudoin:
Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum's Guest House provides shelter from the storms of life for the better part of an hour, providing plenty of goodwill and happiness in each of Lewis' fine fiddle lines and each of Rozum's masterful mandolinisms. Although the bulk of upbeat numbers here inspire smiles and the like, the slower, soul-searching pieces such as "Tramps and Hawkers" and "Scars From An Old Love" prove most resonant and display the full emotional range of Lewis' voice.

With a career that dates back to the mid-1970s, Laurie Lewis has always been an avid promoter of the music she loves. Here the justly lauded fiddler, singer, and songwriter teams with mandolinist Tom Rozum for their third album together. The 13 songs on Guest House mix Lewis originals with traditional numbers and well-chosen covers by some important writers from the second half of the 20th century (including Hazel Dickens, Jim Ringer, Si Kahn, and Slim Willet). When Lewis and Rozum harmonize it is truly a thing of beauty; the evocative intervals they employ on "Since You Went Away" are simply breathtaking. Additional players add supple oomph and wallop throughout, most notably Todd Sickafoose on bass and Craig Smith on banjo. --David Greenberger

 

Kevin's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews/Kevin McCarthy http://www.surfnetusa.com/celtic-folk/index.html mailto:celtic-folk@surfnetusa.com

Laurie Lewis has been a member of bluegrass royalty for many years. Some say she is also 'newgrass.' Others add that she also encompasses country and folk. Her latest, with performing partner Tom Rozum, is splashes of all of these and a followup to their 1996 Grammy nominated release "The Oak and The Laurel." This reviewer's forays into bluegrass hold the sole expectation of entertainment, without any anticipation of emotional content or connection. But that closed world was turned ajar here with a few of the selections. The late Jim Ringer's "Tramps and Hawkers," Hazel Dickens' "Scars From An Old Love," Claudia Schmidt's "Quiet Hills" and Si Kahn's "Just A Lie" all register on the heart-o-meter. Sung by Rozum, "Tramps and Hawkers,' like so many Irish and traditional U.K. songs, paints a picture of a young man lured away from his love by wondrous tales of the road:

"...I've watched the rise of light in the sky where the sun climbs out of the sea Seen giants fall in mountains tall where the lumberman cut down the trees I've played in the sand with the Gulf Coast wind, fell asleep in the grass tall and green..."

Unfortunately, by the time he eventually does return home, his love is no longer among the living. Dickens' "Scars From An Old Love" has Lewis plaintively singing of the difficulty re-developing trust after being jilted:"....The battle is over, and the victor has fled Wounded and dying, one lonely heart bled Then love sounds her bugle, playing that old sweet song But the scars from an old love haven't quite all gone...""Quiet Hills" is performed a cappella, with Lewis on lead vocals. Touching upon darkness, sorrow, hope and healing, one could easily surmise it is a product of our current times. Claudia Schmidt wrote it in 1994.

Rozum sings "Just A Lie," Kahn's tale of life in the economic depression of the early 1930s. Like the 1950s are remembered as gold old days by many my parent's eneration, Kahn destroys whatever myth anyone holds of the 30s as fine times:

"...No I don't say that everything was bad There was some might good times that we had But you can't spend the silver sun and moon And you can't eat a lonesome fiddle tune..."The title of the jittery and jumping opening cut "Willie Poor Boy" brought to mind the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Down On The Corner" containing lyrics about 'Willie and the Poor Boys.' But there is no connection--only Willie is here. The courtship of Bill Monroe's parents is set to music and brought to life as a tribute in "O My Malissa." Lewis, Rozum and their gang close with three engaging fiddle tunes,"Wild Rose of the Mountain," The Devil Chased Me Around The Stump" and"Glory at the Meeting House."

There is plenty of pickin' to be enjoyed here, along with the aforementioned heart openers. And the creativity streak extends into the liner notes which are not separate from but unfold as part of the primarily cardboard jewel box.

 

Berkeley Daily Planet/Doug Spencer
Today’s featured artists make so-called “old-timey” music, yet they live in the present. A telling attack on the nostalgic urge drives one of the stand-out cuts on “Guest House”, the new CD by Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, Equally fine as singers & players, both are multi-instrumentalists. Laurie is a particularly fine fiddler & Tom an excellent mandolinist.

 

Sitemason.com   
The third duet album from Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum is a characteristically versatile offering of love songs, laments, social commentary and freewheeling fun in the spirit of old-time music.  Laurie and Tom pay homage to Woody Guthrie, Hazel Dickens, Grandpa Jones and Bill Monroe, along with adding their own touches to traditional favorites and several of Laurie’s originals

 

WASHINGTON TIMES/ Kris Garnjost
Published April 15, 2004
California bluegrass performer Laurie Lewis and jazzy singer-songwriter Lisa McCormick, from Vermont, have a lot in common. They're both independent-minded women who write clear, honest, intelligent songs and possess special voices that are both strong and expressive. This week, each is playing a small, intimate venue in the Washington area. Both shows are worth a look.     Laurie Lewis' visit to Jammin' Java in Vienna Monday finds her paired with her longtime singing partner, Tom Rozum. They have just released a terrific album, "Guest House."     "We love duet singing," Miss Lewis says. "We've been singing together closer to twenty years than fifteen. It's a thrill to find somebody you work so well together with. And the vocal blend, I think, is really wonderful."     The CD's songs give reverential nods to such legendary singers and songwriters as the Louvin Brothers, Bill Monroe, Hazel Dickens and Woody Guthrie. "They all have a rural roots-music flavor to them," Miss Lewis says, "whether it's bluegrass or old-time or sort of older country, sort of Louvins. And that's the music that we really love."     This is not to say the music is old and dusty. The style is classic, but each song is infused with energy and emotion. Many of the songs are brand new, including three by Miss Lewis.     The first song on the album, "Willie Poor Boy," is based on a true story about a man who started to carry a gun after being robbed, then let his temper get the better of him. A cautionary tale with a Woody Guthrie feel, it has a timeless message with a very contemporary setting.     "I don't like to be preached at, and I don't want to preach at people, but if there is something I can say in a way that just tells a story, I'll go for it," Miss Lewis says. "Like 'Willie Poor Boy' -- it just tells a story and reaches a conclusion without ramming it down your throat."     Miss Lewis has been a leader on the California bluegrass scene since the 1970s, when she co-founded the all-woman bluegrass group Good Ole Persons. She won two awards as best female vocalist from the International Bluegrass Music Association and is a trophy-winning fiddle player. She and Mr. Rozum (who plays mandolin, fiddle and guitar) were nominated for a Grammy for their 1995 album "The Oak and the Laurel." In Vienna, they will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Tom Sauber.

 

The John Shelton Ivany Top Twenty-One Published in 200 national newspapers

Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum Guest House High Tone Records

by Bob Mitchell

"Guest House" features the smooth well rehearsed voices of Lewis and Rozum. However, their instrumental prowess also merits acknowledgment as a major focal point in this latest release. Lewis plays fiddle and guitar while Rozum plays mandolin, mandola, and guitar.

Their work always has been first rate but they have, once again, raised the bar. Each arrangement is thoughtful and intelligent. Most tracks are not in the three minute traditional bluegrass mode. In fact, Lewis and Rozum frequently need five minutes per cut and a fiddle medley required almost eight minutes to accommodate their ideas. The recording is difficult to categorize because it incorporates elements of country, blues, folk, bluegrass, jazz and pop. The sensitive treatment of lyrics and melody is always sweetened by the way in which their voices complement one another. The ever pleasant harmony lines are as snug as sister and brother, especially on a heartfelt "Since You Went Away," and "Scars From An Old Love."

Other highlights include a snappy clever "Bad Seed," "O My Malissa" (a love song based on Bill Monroe’s fiddle playing mother), a poignant cover for Hazel Dicken’s "My Heart’s Own Love," an accapella trio, "Quiet Hills," and a lively "Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes."

 

Bill Yates, Route 66
Nothing here except great music excellently and imaginatively performed. Highly recommended.

 

Rob Shotwell, Bluegrass Breakdown
Laurie Lewis is the creator and purveyor of some very fine acoustic and bluegrass albums during the course of her career. It shouldn't be hard to believe that she has possibly exceeded her finest work on this collaboration with her long-time partner Tom Rozum. She has always generously utilized her friends and and accomplished guests as musical compatriots, and often has encouraged their best performances. On Guest House, the generosity comes with about 54 minutes of music and includes some great song notes. Throughout their HighTone release, Lewis' fiddle is lively and as good as any you will hear. Her dynamics are flawless, with peaks and valleys that elicit emotion and excitement. Just as importantly, she sings in an unrestrained and zealous manner, trading the lead, tenor and high baritone parts with Rozum seemingly at will. Highly recomended.

 

David Greenberger
Here the justly lauded fiddler, singer, and songwriter teams with mandolinist Tom Rozum for their third album together. With a career that dates back to the mid-1970s, Laurie Lewis has always been an avid promoter of the music she loves. The 13 songs on Guest House mix Lewis originals with traditional numbers and well-chosen covers by some important writers from the second half of the 20th century (including Hazel Dickens, Jim Ringer, Si Kahn, and Slim Willet). When Lewis and Rozum harmonize it is truly a thing of beauty; the evocative intervals they employ on "Since You Went Away" are simply breathtaking. Additional players add supple oomph and wallop throughout, most notably Todd Sickafoose on bass and Craig Smith on banjo.

 

Customer Reviews:

"Laurie & Tom give us another excellent collection of great bluegrass and oldtimey music. This one will stay in may car for a long time, and it is the first playlist on my mp3 player.

After watching the group perform in a little bitty town in CA's central valley, where they performed some of the songs from the new CD, I couldn't resist buying it. What a deal! Not a bad song on it. I particularly am captured by the Alaska song, and the one I think of as "the rose of San Joaquin" (really called title Tramps and Hawkers). The latter showcases Tom and is a powerful, emotional song about a wandering life.

Now I am a bit biased, as I have all of Laurie's CD's, and value them all. But this one is on par with "The Oak and the Larel." Five star. Buy it!"

"Recommended! Another nice, understated oldtime-ish album by these SF Bay Area/Northern California acoustic music vets... The picking is solid, but resolutely unflashy, steering listeners towards the lyrics and the subtle harmony vocals. This is possibly the best of the Lewis-Rozum collaborations, with their musical inclinations in a perfect synch that mirrors that of their voices -- her low tones, meeting his high. The album opens on a note of controversy, with a cautionary tale about urban rage and gun-related violence ("Poor Boy Willie," which cleverly transposes a Woody Guthrie-style story-song into the modern day... it sounds nice, but one wonders how many of their Birkenstock-clad, ponytailed, urban folkie listeners will actually find their behavior modified by the song...) A second social commentary song scores better: "Just A Lie," which takes aim at those nostalgic for "the good old days," has a more compact structure, and a much sharper bite. In between, there's a lovely range of heartfelt, folkie truegrass, with Lewis and Rozum both singing their little hearts out. Extra points for covering Jim Ringer's timeless outlaw ballad, "Tramps And Hawkers."

 

Laurie Lewis
& her Bluegrass Pals ~ CD Reviews

 

Barnes & Noble

Known for pushing the boundaries of progressive bluegrass with infusions of jazz, country, Latin, and even new age flavors, singer-fiddler-songwriter Laurie Lewis comes home on her latest album. Appropriately, the opening track, "Tall Pines," is a song about homesickness Lewis learned from an album by the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Backed by the tight ensemble playing of Tom Rozum's sparkling mandolin, Mary Gibson's steady rhythm guitar, Todd Phillips's tasteful bass and Craig Smith's lively banjo, Lewis gives a soulful but entirely bluegrass touch to Jimmy Martin's remorseful "Stepping Stones." There are four originals, including the lively "Big Eddy" and "Wind at Play," as well as a cut written by country throwback Gillian Welch ("Acony Bell"), and several traditional tunes. Lewis's sensitive fiddle playing adds a special touch of mournful emotion to "Black Waters," a tune by one of her heroes, Jean Ritchie.

 

All Music Guide

Laurie Lewis comes full circle and brings a batch of her friends together for an inspired session of straight-ahead bluegrass. There's an empathy to the playing of Lewis with mandolinist Tom Rozum, banjoist Craig Smith, bassist Todd Phillips, and rhythm guitarist Mary Gibbons that grows on you as the album unfolds with the strong trio singing of Lewis, Gibbons, and Rozum that's equally as seductive. Highlights include "Tall Pines," Jimmy Martin's "Stepping Stones," Jean Ritchie's "Black Waters," "Acony Bell," and Lewis' own "Wind at Play," "Blow, Big Wind," and "Big Eddy." An inspired session. Cub Koda

 

Laurie Lewis Laurie Lewis and Her Bluegrass Pals
Jun-20-1999 ©1999 iBluegrass.com.
All rights reserved.

 

By Debbie Brightwell

 

Tall Pines/Stepping Stones/Blow, Big Wind/Going to the West/When I get Home/Black Waters/Big Eddy/Acony Bell/Wind at Play/Weevily Wheat/Hard Luck and Trouble/The Wood Thrush's Song/Beyond the River Bend

 

Laurie Lewis has always had the reputation for blazing her own original trail, gracefully moving through her musical career. On previous projects, she has successfully expanded her stylings far beyond her bluegrass roots. We find Laurie revisiting those roots instrumental in shaping her as a musician on her new recording, "Laurie Lewis and her Bluegrass Pals." In essence, this is Laurie's bluegrass homecoming and she's taking us all along with her.

 

Laurie decided she needed to assemble a traditional 5-piece straight-ahead bluegrass band to record this CD. Of course, Laurie plays fiddle. Laurie's other instrument, her strong, clear, resonant voice, provides most of the lead vocals. Laurie's unique vocal tonality gives even the most traditional bluegrass a sound distinctly her own. Joining her on mandolin and harmony vocals is longtime duet partner, and friend, Tom Rozum. To handle the banjo duties, Laurie called on Craig Smith. Craig, himself a Rounder recording artist and much demanded session player, exhibits impressive mastery on the 5-string banjo. He reminds us banjo is part of the rhythm in a bluegrass unit. Additionally, Craig provides bass vocals on the hauntingly beautiful "The Wood Thrush's Song." Playing rhythm guitar and singing tenor vocals is Mary Gibbons. Be sure to listen to the way her voice melds with Laurie's. Providing the bottom, with impeccable timing and taste, is none other than Todd Phillips. His bass leads on "Big Eddy" illustrate why he is undoubtedly the bassist of choice in acoustic music circles. The camaraderie and common spirit of this band is most evident in the outstanding trio and quartet singing, and the give and take of the instrumentals.

 

Once again, Laurie's knack for choosing material shines in every cut. Successfully blending traditional folk songs, original compositions, and contemporary and traditional bluegrass, the listener is treated to a cacophony of rare, not often performed works. Laurie pays homage to some of the fine female singer/songwriters, past and present, on three cuts. To honor Hazel Dickens, a mentor of most female bluegrass musicians, the band performs "Beyond the River Bend." It is on this cut the impeccable rhythm of the band is best demonstrated. Jean Ritchie's protest song, "Black Waters," dramatically laments the ravages of strip-mining. Laurie's intentional lack of resolution as she ends "Black Water" is particularly striking. "Acony Bell," Gillian Welch's song about a hopeful little mountain wildflower, lends itself nicely to the Monroe-esque way in which the band performs the tune.

 

Breeding new life into old folksongs, Tom and Laurie demonstrate their duet abilities with the conversational "Going to the West." The listener is treated to an aural delight on "Weevily Wheat" as Craig's banjo and Laurie's fiddle dance about each other.

 

Laurie illustrates her philosophy regarding bluegrass on her original compositions. She has always maintained bluegrass is the one genre that allows an artist to present new ideas that are strongly connected with traditional sounds. The influence the Stanley Brothers made on Laurie's early bluegrass development is clearly heard in all of her original arrangements on this project. Using the a cappella style of the Old Primitive Church, Laurie mourns the disappearance of the wood thrush due to "the crush of man's embrace." This listener was most moved by the powerful quartet singing on this piece.

 

Of course, no self-respecting bluegrass recording would be complete without a gospel song. To fill the bill, the band performs Estil Ball's "When I get Home." Craig Smith sets aside the banjo to add his Scruggs/Reno style fingerpicked guitar. Not only can we hear Todd playing great walking bass lines, but he also makes his first professional singing performance handling bass vocals.

 

A common thread running through all of the material on this CD is humankind's interaction with nature. Laurie take us on an incredible nature walk. We smell the "sweet fragrance of flowers" beyond an Appalachian river bend. We take a wild ride on the "Big Eddy" and come to a quiet rest under the "Tall Pines." The listener's emotions ride the highs and lows of the instruments and vocals. It allows one to pause and reflect -- to contemplate the deeper meaning of the imagery behind some of America's favorite music. Yes, this is bluegrass, "no doubt about it," with all the instrumental velocity and vocal prowess expected from a high and tight bluegrass recording. However, be sure to allow yourself to get lost in the lyrics. I assure you it will be a most worthwhile adventure.

Seeing Things ~ CD Reviews

 

Relix
Singer songwriter Laurie Lewis has long been a purveyor of some of the most artful and sophisticated folk and bluegrass music. Seeing Things (Rounder) is this Bay Area performer's latest and most far-reaching effort. Backed by a terrific all-star cast, Lewis expands her horizons to include subtle elements of jazz ("Kiss Me Before I Die"), edgy, almost alternative folk-rock ("Visualize") and sweet ballads ("Angel On His Shoulder"). Other highlights of this exquisite album are the sprightly country-bluegrass stomper, "Blue Days, Sleepless Nights," and the stark yet beautiful version of the traditional "The Blackest Crow," featuring Lewis backed by the multi-layered fiddles of Daryl Anger. Perhaps the most compelling cut is her poignant cover of Tom Russell's "Manzanar," a touching ode to the Japanese Americans that were interned during the Second World War. (One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, http://www. rounder.com)

 

Kind of Blue
Multi-talented songwriter Laurie Lewis makes music with an ear toward tradition. But she's not afraid to break rules.
By David Hill Article Published Oct 11, 2001

 

For years, bluegrass was easily one of the most male-dominated musical genres around. All the biggest stars were men, and their bands were all made up of "boys." Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, the Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys -- you get the idea. Talk about boy bands.

 

Sure, there were a few token female members of the club, like accordionist Sally Ann Forrester and bassist Bessie Lee Mauldin, both of whom played for Bill Monroe. West Coast hillbilly singer Rose Maddox recorded a fine bluegrass album for Capitol, but that was a one-shot deal. Back in the early '60s, when earnest young college students discovered the joys of bluegrass, about the only women playing the festivals were Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. They, more than just about anyone else, made bluegrass safe for females.

 

These days, it's hard to imagine bluegrass without women. Alison Krauss is probably the most famous female performer, but others, like Rhonda Vincent and Claire Lynch, are doing highly regarded work. Earlier this year, country singer Patty Loveless showed her affinity for the high-lonesome sound on the wonderful Mountain Soul, and in recent years Dolly Parton has gotten in touch with her hillbilly roots.

 

Then there's Laurie Lewis, a dulcet-voiced singer from Berkeley, California. On her Web site, she calls herself a "singer, fiddler, guitarist, songwriter [and] river rat," which gives you some idea of her many talents. (She has also been a dancer and a violin maker.) She may not be a household name, but she's well-known in bluegrass circles. Indeed, she won the International Bluegrass Music Association's female vocalist of the year award in 1992 and 1994.

 

Bluegrass was her first love, but Lewis has also recorded a number of albums, most of them for the Rounder label, that aren't so easily categorized. One of them, 1998's Seeing Things, is best described as "contemporary folk" or "new acoustic." But her most recent disk, Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals, is a spirited return to the music that first captivated her as a teenager.

 

"Of course, I've always loved bluegrass," she says from her home in California. "It's a music that's very near and dear to my heart. But I hadn't played in a bluegrass band, per se, since, maybe, the early '80s. And since then, I had just been doing all these different configurations. Seeing Things definitely had some songs on it that would never be called bluegrass." But, partly because she's always been known as a bluegrass singer, Lewis decided it was time to do an all-bluegrass album again.

 

Still, she hates being pigeonholed. "I'm hard to categorize, and it drives the record companies mad. But that's just the way I am." Some of her favorite singers are hard to classify. "I mean, look at Ray Charles. If he loves a song, he's just going to do it. And he makes it a Ray Charles song."

 

Lewis got hooked on roots music back in the '60s, when she had the good fortune to see legendary performers like Doc Watson, the Greenbriar Boys (another "boy" band!), Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis and Jean Ritchie at the Berkeley Folk Festival. About the same time, she went to a Byrds concert; the Dillards, a California bluegrass outfit led by banjo picker Doug Dillard, was the opening act.

 

"I thought they were the funniest," Lewis says. "They really appealed to a fourteen-year-old. I just loved them, and I wanted to play the banjo." Her father bought her the much-desired instrument, and she began taking lessons from a student at UC Berkeley. When her teacher went away for the summer, he left Lewis a box of bluegrass records, which she played over and over. The seed had been planted.

 

Rounder/Jeff Wall
Laurie Lewis Seeing Things
Laurie Lewis could be a Country Star. She has the chops. She's attractive, photogenic, and would come across well on music video. She's an excellent performer and entertainer. But what sets Laurie apart from the pack is her songwriting and that voice. That voice can soar like an eagle. It can bring a tear to the hardest heart.

 

But Laurie makes the music she want's to. She's been active in the California Acoustic Music scene for years. A founding member of the Good Ole Person's, an outstanding Bay area Bluegrass Band, she left out on her own when that group disbanded and hasn't looked back since. She has put out several excellent Bluegrass albums. This album is not Bluegrass, It's acoustic music. Damn fine acoustic music.

 

Some of the highlights are the bluegrassy "Blue Day's, Sleepless Nights", the tender ballad "The Refugee", a song about being grateful for roots and a place to call home. "Kiss Me Before I Die", is a song about how everything else can wait until after that desperate need for a kiss has been fulfilled. Done in a Dawg style, it comes across funky and full of sass. "I'll Take Back My Heart" is a delightful Norteno romp. "Manzanar" is a Tom Russell song about the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during WW2. With Laurie's soaring fiddle and aching vocals, and the accompaniment of Koto drums, the song will break your heart.

 

This is a pretty good little disc. Laurie's Vocals are top notch. Surrounded by top musicians such as Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Tom Rosen, the musical quality is great. The large majority of the songs work for me. There were a couple I didn't care for, but the thing that keeps you enthralled is that wonderful, wonderful, voice.

 

Cub Koda, All Music Guide
While previous albums have explored Lewis' prodigious fiddle talents and her ability to put a new spin on bluegrass music, Seeing Things zeroes in on her glorious voice and her ability to tell a story with it. Eight of the 11 tunes come from her pen; tunes like "The Refugee," "Kiss Me Before I Die," "Angel On His Shoulder," and "Bane and Balm" all show tremendous growth as a writer, while the opening "Blues Days, Sleepless Nights" bears strong comparison to her best bluegrass work. Tom Russel's "Manzanar" (the story of a World War II Japanese POW), her duet with Cris Williamson on "Let the Bird Go Free" and the traditional "The Blackest Crow" set moods bleak, somber and ethereal. But mostly it comes down to Lewis' voice, an instrument of uncommon beauty, depth and versatility. This is one special album. ~

 

Walnut Valley Occasional
If you want to know what kind of a bluegrass singer Laurie Lewis is, you only need to listen to one phrase. In the bridge of the song Visualize, from the new CD Seeing Things, she sings the phrase "and she knows," letting loose on the last syllable, sliding up and holding the note just long enough for tension to become passion. Lewis sings the same way she plays fiddle -- emotionally, but tastefully controlled.

 

If, however, you want to know about Lewis as a songwriter, you'll have to listen a lot more. Lewis -- in the company of such standouts as Iris DeMent, Judith Edelman, Patty Larkin and the Indigo Girls -- can and does write about anything. Moreover, she makes it all compelling.

 

On Seeing Things, Lewis seems to be both embracing and struggling with maturity. In the one hand, she is sultry and direct on Tattoo, a song that leaves mental images indelible as the name on the narrator's arm. On the other hand, the straight-ahead bluegrass cut Blue Days, Sleepless Nights is about playing it safer than she used to: "I used to dance out on the edge / I was possessed, I could not fall / But nowadays I just inch along that ledge / afraid to dance, I barely crawl."

 

Maturity and perspective come into play on both the clever Kiss Me Before I Die and the affecting Angel on His Shoulder. The first is a funky, funny Mary Chapin-Carpenter - meets - Bonnie Raitt seduction song which owes a lot to Tom Rozum's mandola playing. The second is a sparse song built on two quiet guitar parts. Powerful in its specificity, it is a testament to faith and a sense of higher purpose.

 

bluegrassworks.com
SEEING THINGS (1998)
The significance of this album's title is not to be overlooked - when it comes to songwriting, Laurie Lewis is gifted with vision, imagination and a sensitivity that lets her fully view and appreciate both the physical world and the human emotional landscape. Seeing Things is perhaps Laurie's most adventurous and groundbreaking project, ranging stylistically from the balladry of "Let the Bird Go Free" and "The Blackest Crow" to the swing and soul of "Blue Days, Sleepless Nights" to a very funky "Kiss Me Before I Die". Another highlight is the song "Manzanar," the story Japanese-American internment during World War II, for which Laurie blends American acoustic folk music with the beautiful sounds of the Japanese kyoto. In addition to regular band mates Todd Phillips (bass) and Tom Rozum (mandolin), Laurie is accompanied on this CD by some of the very finest acoustic musicians available: Rob Ickes (dobro), Darol Anger (violin), Tony Furtado (slide guitar) and Kathy Kallick (harmony vocals), to name a few.

 

Country Standard Time/Robert Wooldridge
Laurie Lewis tells us in her liner notes that she had suffered a long period of creative drought during recovery from a serious car accident in 1994. Here she not only demonstrates a renewed creativity, but manages to address the accident in a positive light. "Kiss Me Before I Die" takes a whimsical look at the specter of death, while "Angel On His Shoulder" reveals that surviving adversity can make one appreciate "life's sweet blessings." While other tunes don't deal directly with the accident, songs such as "Let the Bird Go Free" and "The Refugee" acknowledge a spirit of renewal. Another highlight is a stirring performance of Tom Russell's "Manzanar," the story of a Japanese-American reflecting on the atrocity of internment camps during World War II. Regular band mates Tom Rozum (mandolin) and Todd Phillips (acoustic bass) are joined by such notables as Darol Anger (violin), Tony Furtado (slide guitar) and Kathy Kallick (harmony vocals). Lewis shows that she has lived through tragedy to emerge as an artist with creativity not only intact but seemingly heightened. - Robert Wooldridge

 

Fretplay/Mary Park
To be sure, there's still plenty of fiddle, mandolin, and high lonesome harmonies to be found here, and Lewis's respect for traditional music shines through. If Earth & Sky, the compilation that was Laurie Lewis's Rounder debut, served to showcase her bluegrass roots, Seeing Things finds her breaking new musical ground. But these songs range all over the musical map, from the lilting Norteño swing of "I'll Take Back My Heart" to the sly, bass-driven shuffle of "Kiss Me Before I Die. " Tom Russell's haunting "Manzanar" tells the story of Japanese internment during World War II, while Darol Anger grows a "forest of fiddles" (as the liner notes put it) around Lewis's lovely, clear soprano on the traditional "The Blackest Crow. " Lewis has always been a hard artist to pigeonhole, gracefully moving between musical genres as different as bluegrass, jazz, gospel, and traditional folk. With Seeing Things, she establishes herself as a powerful, diverse singer/songwriter who deserves a much wider audience.

 

Billboard
Laurie Lewis continues to successfully walk the high wire above esoteric country, combining elements of bluegrass, folk and pure country to form her own seamless mix. She wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tracks here,a nd most are gems. For example, "The Refugee" is a lilting, accordion-driven tale of longing; "Kiss Me Before I Die" is freewheeling hillbilly jazz; "I'll Take Back My Heart" is full-blown Tex-Mex; Tony Furtado's slide guitar imbues "Bane and Balm" with a lush Hawaiian flavor. The songs Lewis didn't write are the traditional "The Blackest Crow," Mark Simos' "Let The Bird Go Free," and veteran Texas troubadour Tom Russell's "Manzanar," an epic tale about the Japanese internment during WWII. As usual, Lewis is impossible to categorize.

 

Crossroads/Kerry Dexter
Seeing Things is Laurie Lewis at her acoustic string band best, which is very good indeed. Her recent recordings have focussed more on her songwriting talents (they are on display here, too) in a variety of melodic and instrumental configurations. On this project, her voice and the power of acoustic string music come to the fore. Lewis' sense of humor and irony is apparent in "Kiss Me Before I Die" (and her comment on the song in the liner notes) as well as her appreciation of risks to the spirit ("Blue Days, Sleepless Nights"). Especially outstanding, too, is her cover of Tom Russell's ballad, "Manzanar."

Earth & Sky ~ CD Reviews

 

All Music Guide/Steven E. McDonald
Excerpting Laurie Lewis's trio of albums for Flying Fish, and adding four new cuts, the collection does a good job of tracking her development as a country/bluegrass performer, and her adoption of more open forms that cater to more of a singer/songwriter mode -- the concluding "Magic Light," in fact, is quite haunting. A good starting point.

 

Fretplay reviews
Singer, songwriter, fiddler extraordinaire! On this album, her own songs are showcased, and it is an incredible collection. Other Laurie Lewis albums allow you to enjoy her remarkable affinity for Bill Monroe and other bluegrass classics. There is some awesomely serious songwriting talent on display here -- every song is full of heart, intelligence, informed by eyes that seem to see a lot more of both human nature and the natural world than most others manage to notice. Lewis's albums are always notable for their excellent song selection, and this album helps us understand why: what she herself writes is unfailingly beautiful, intelligent, and musically top-notch.

 

And it would be remiss of me not to comment on her incredible vocals. She effectively uses her voice as a complex, rich instrument, and it sounds better and better with every release. Her mastery and control of her voice just seem to be on an ever-upward curve. At some points in her songs, I listen to what her voice does just within the space of a single word, and I'm amazed.

 

Whether it's Lewis's vibrant fiddling matched to the great story of "The Bear Song," the plaintive "Love Chooses You" (with incredible resonator guitar backup by Jerry Douglas) or the norteno/swing-inflected "Texas Bluebonnets," this is a collection you shouldn't miss. It will be one of your favorites right out of the box, then will grow on you even more with every hearing.

 

North County Times/Jim Trageser
September 5, 1997
Laurie Lewis is one of those many singers whose style can't be neatly pegged into a ready-made format - and so she's ignored by the radio moguls who increasingly make our airwaves so damn boring.

 

Lewis is a fine singer and even better fiddle player. She's so good that she was featured on the all-star women's bluegrass project, "Blue Rose," on Sugar Hill Records (which you really ought to own if you at all like American music).

 

But her greatest talent is her songwriting. Like Tom Russell or Guy Clark, Lewis writes smart little tales of average folks, the people both political parties claim to represent every election season then promptly forget.

 

On this compilation drawn from Lewis' three solo releases on the now-defunct Flying Fish label (now owned by Rounder), Lewis is joined by some of the best country and bluegrass players around: Jerry Douglas, Tony Furtado, Mike Marshall, Buddy Emmons and Sam Bush.

 

Of course, every once in a while one of these no-name talents breaks through into the mainstream. If you've enjoyed Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris or Ricky Skaggs, for instance, then you might want to give Laurie Lewis a listen.

 

Country Standard Time/Brian Wahlert
Laurie Lewis was the 1992 and 1994 International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, but she transcends the boundaries of that genre on this retrospective as she moves from bluegrass to traditional country and folk, even to new age and jazz.

 

Regardless of the musical category, though, the central theme of this album is Lewis's talent as a songwriter. She's cautious about falling in love in the banjo-driven bluegrass song "Don't Get Too Close," but she writes poignantly about crossing that line in the fiddle-and-steel country song "The Point of Return." "Green Fields" and "The Hills of My Home" display Lewis's love for the outdoors. Even more interesting are "The Bear Song," a story about a lost hunter who is saved by a group of fiddle-playing bears, and "The Maple's Lament," a spare Irish-sounding first-person tale of the life and death of a tree. And the ethereal natural beauty of "Magic Light" is unlike anything else on any country album. This disc is a fascinating look at a decade in the career of one amazingly gifted songwriter.

 

Billboard
"Laurie is a tremendously gifted writer with a unique vision, the possessor of an exquisitely lovely voice, a whiz on fiddle and acoustic bass, and a good producer."

 

Customer Reviews
Just buy it!
I'm a great fan of such music and bought the album based on that single song. I had not heard of Laurie Lewis until I heard her on satellite radio playing "The Maples Lament" from the CD. Wow! This has become the CD I listen to most. All I can say is buy it you won't be disappointed.

 

Winter's Grace ~ CD Reviews

 

We have made it through December. The tree has been recycled, the ornaments stashed away in the attic, and chestnuts have been reduced to ashes over the open fire. In many ways it is great to get beyond the hustle of the holiday experience, yet there is something magical about the season and some of the music that is only heard around Christmas time. And if you just want to hold on to that magic for a little longer on these cold frosty mornings one sure way to do so is to listen to Winter's Grace, the wonderful winter solstice recording by Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum.

 

Normally Laurie and Tom play bluegrass with their Bluegrass Pals, but on this recording they've gathered some interesting non-bluegrass material and got lots of friends to play along. The song selection is exquisite, and fortunately there are no frosty snowmen, no white-bearded geezers in red outfits, and no grandmas getting run over by wayward reindeer.

 

The first song is The Messenger, a beautiful tale of winter written by songwriter Mark Simos and sung by Laurie, that features an old-time fiddle sound accompanied by mandola, cello, and bass. Snowy Road is a pretty instrumental written by erstwhile New Englander and resident mandolinist Tom Rozum, and Laurie and Kaila Flexer play twin fiddles. Next comes Tom's take on the Merle Haggard classic If We Make It Through December, a song that Tom has been singing for years during the holiday season.

 

Earth Moves In A Mysterious Way features just a fiddle, Nina Gerber's guitar, Laurie's voice, and lovely four-part harmony on the chorus. The Wassail Song is a traditional tune from the British Isles that Tom sings, followed by The Gift, which is a musical version of the Mexican folk tale The First Nightingale, with a delightful harp plucked by Barbara Higbie. Christmas Time's A-Comin' was written by Bill Monroe's fiddler Tex Logan, and it is the only song on the CD played by Laurie and Her Bluegrass Pals.

 

Tom sweetly sings Hot Buttered Rum, the tune by Tommy Thompson of The Red Clay Ramblers, and it is followed by Heiligste Nacht, a German traditional song that is an instrumental played on two mandolins. Wintergrace is a song written by Jean Ritchie, and it has a haunting feel with just two voices, fiddle, and mandola. It is also where the CD title comes from. Cold Frosty Morning is a traditional instrumental song that tastefully closes out the recording.

 

But make sure you listen all the way to the very end for a surprise banjo piece. With the holidays seeming like centuries ago, the rainy season upon us, and the local football teams watching the playoffs on TV, there is not much joy to this world in January. But if you want to experience tidings of comfort and joy for a little while longer, then sample a little Winter's Grace. It will help you gracefully make it through January, February, and the rest of winter.

 

Larry Carlin, California Bluegrass Association newsletter

 

Featuring Laurie's wonderfully strong and expressive voice and an appropriately simple, tasteful backing. The songs are well chosen, with the initial track--The Messenger writen by Mark Simos- a lovely, haunting peice that alone is worth the price of the album. Other especially effective cuts are EARTH MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY, CHRISTMAS TIME'S A COMING, IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER, and instrumental treatments of THE SNOWEY ROAD and COLD FROSTY MORNING.The accompaniment makes good use of fiddle, cello, mandolin, guitar & Bass. Very attractively packaged, this one is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (Note after playing the album's 11 tracks hang on for an extra "hidden" SLEIGH RIDE, played as banjo solo).

 

-County Sales newsletter

True Stories ~ CD Reviews

 

Fretplay/Customer Review

 

An undiscovered talent. The track "Who Will Watch The Home Place ?" was stunning and I quickly found the album it was on - True Stories - and purchased it. I first came upon the name Laurie Lewis from a Bluegrass sampler. I can only say the rest of the album is as good, if not better, than that sample track. Laurie's voice has the adaptability to cover several styles, including cajun, showcased on this album. Maybe she is already well known in the U. S. A. but here in Britain she remains an undiscovered talent. I have been collecting records for 40 years and this one is certainly high on my list of all time favourites. Check out the samples, you won't be disappointed.

 

Walnut Valley Occasional
(Rounder Records, 13 selections; 50:08)

 

Voted top female vocalist in 1992 (by the International Bluegrass Music Association), Laurie Lewis' story is that she skillfully delivers and writes many forms of music. From traditional to folk, country, Cajun, blues, jazz and bluegrass, her writing, playing, and singing are right on the mark with heart. Each song included on True Stories has the ring of truth, not one feels like "filler." Produced by Mike Marshall and Laurie Lewis, with support from her band Grant Street and a stellar line-up of guests... this album is another giant step in her already remarkable journey. Fine work.

 

Laurie Lewis has enjoyed most of her support from traditional bluegrass and folk audiences, and yet, she's hardly a slave to tradition. A varied release, True Stories ranges from the traditional Irish song "Singing Bird" to the country gems "Who Will Watch the Home Place," "Still a Fool" and "Val's Cabin" to folk-pop numbers like "Knocking On Your Door Again" and "Swept Away." The Bay Area native is as excellent a songwriter as she is a vocalist, and it isn't hard to imagine "Val's Cabin" or "You'll Be Leaving Me" being big country hits with slicker production and some of Nashville's promotional muscle. Lewis' audience is a small one, but her music is definitely well worth getting to know. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Music from Rancho deVille ~ CD Reviews

 

Music from Rancho deVille... (Acoustic Disc)
This posthumously released CD was partially completed when Charles died of leukemia in 1999. His best friend, Laurie Lewis, finished up the project and brought along many of the top names in bluegrass and old-time music, including David Grisman, Jerry Douglas, Norman Blake, Michael Doucet and Flaco Jimenez. And they honor their fallen comrade with inspired performances on, not just bluegrass but old-time, Cajun, even Tex-Mex music. More than an artifact of his interests, this CD shows Sawtelle to be a true and vital contemporary acoustic music artist who, with great respect for tradition, created adventurous, thoroughly enjoyable music. I was touched by the affectionate comments in the liner notes by his peers about Charles as a person and about his dedication and integrity as a musician. And it shows. This is just a damn fine CD. Released Feb. '01. Reviewed by Kevin Russell.

 

CHICAGO TRIBUNE DECEMBER 9, 2001
SUNDAY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT YEAR'S BEST By David Royko
CHARLES SAWTELLE: Music from Rancho deVille (Acoustic Disc). Charles Sawtelle, best known for his work with Hot Rize, died of leukemia in 1999, but not before completing most of this album even as he battled through the final years of his illness. Though a few gaps were later filled in by his musical friends, the disc feels like a finished project, not a collection of scraps, and encompasses Sawtelle's wide range of tastes, from bluegrass through Tex-Mex, blues, old-time, and Cajun. The roster is impressive and reads like an acoustic who's who with the likes of David Grisman, Pete Wernick, Flaco Jimenez, Todd Phillips, Tim and Mollie O'Brien, Norman Blake, Michael Doucet, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan, Richard Greene, Vassar Clements, and Darol Anger. "Angel Band," which closes the disc on a serene and hymn-like note, features a chorus of close friends and colleagues, providing a fitting memorial to a big musical personality.

 

HEADLINE: A departed friend and a good cause Paul Gartner
02/15/2001 Charleston Gazette P4D (Copyright 2001)
"Charles Sawtelle: Music from Rancho deVille" Acoustic Disc ACD-44 www.acousticdisc.com What is the sound of love and friendship? Former Hot Rize guitarist Charles Sawtelle left this earth on March 21, 1999. A group of his close friends, Tim O'Brien, Laurie Lewis, Norman Blake, Pete Werneck, David Grisman, Richard Greene, Nick Forster, Vassar Clements, Michael Doucet, Flaco Jiminez, Todd Phillips and Sam Bush - to name a few, there are 35 in all - have come together for "Charles Sawtelle: Music from Rancho deVille."

All the proceeds from this upcoming Acoustic Disc release (Feb. 27) will go to The Bluegrass Trust, a nonprofit fund for musicians in need. It is operated under the aegis of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

Let's call this music modern American traditional. The powerhouse lineup blurs any attempt at definition, but heart and soul cross any genre, be it newgrass, Cajun, bluegrass or old-time country.

"Rancho deVille" is all of these and more. It is Sawtelle's long talked about solo project that he labored to finish before his death from leukemia. Sawtelle's voice and graceful, understated guitar work appear on nearly every track. His vocals on "Aragon Mill" are touching. Blake sings three Carter Family gems that are as "simple" as they are powerful. Doucet brings his fiddle to a bluesy "Jolie Faye." Jiminez flavors a Norteno version of Woody Guthrie's "Ranger Command."

This is a fine tribute to a departed friend and his musical vision. It also helps a worthy cause. For information, call (800) 221-DISC, or see Acoustic Disc on the Web.

 

Vintage Guitar Magazine: Charles Sawtelle
Music from Rancho DeVille is a love-letter from across the grave. Charles Sawtelle passed away Mach 21, 1999, of complications from leukemia. The last several years of his life were spent recuperating from chemotherapy treatments and making recordings in his home studio, a small stone outbuilding called Rancho DeVille. He entrusted Laurie Lewis with the daunting task of collecting all his masters and forming them into an album. She has produced a CD that is worthy of his memory.

Charles Sawtelle was the kind of guy who did so many things well that his business card, which read "Expert", wasn't hyperbole. This CD reveals the breadth of his talents. Cajun tunes like "The Newz Reel" with Micheal Doucet of Beausoleais, old-time country "The Storms Are on The Ocean" by A.P. Carter with Norman Blake on vocals, a Norteno version of Woody Guthrie's "The Ranger's Command" where he's joined by Flaco Jimenez, and Lefty Frizell's "Mom and Dad's Waltz" with an unlikely, but perfect vocal, by Vassar Clements are just a few of the musical treats on Music From Rancho DeVille. Charles' solos often forayed into uncharted musical territory, and this CD has a couple that rival his best. "Let's Go Home" gives you a taste of his unique instrumental voice.

The biggest musical surprises here are Charles' own original compositions. Four instrumentals with the likes of David Grisman and Sam Bush on mandolins, Vassar Clements playing fiddle, Jerry Douglas on resophonic guitar, Todd Phillips on string bass, and of course Charles on his herringbone Martin D-28 are simply stunning in their rare beauty. What makes them so remarkable is that they are unpredictable yet classic at the same time.

Charles was a serious audiophile, and his studio was stocked with great old microphones to couple with his superlative Grace eight-channel microphone preamp. If you want to hear what a vintage pre-war Martin herringbone or a Lloyd Loar F-5 mandolin really sounds like in the hands of a master, you have to have this CD. Acoustic disc include their usual special touches that makes their packaging special. Many of Charles' close associates as well as musicians on the album gives us insight into why Charles was special.

While it's only mid-February, I have no doubt that this is one of the best releases of 2001. As Charles would say "You need this CD."

 

Shaping a legend
CD finally captures late Boulder player Sawtelle's range
By John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
In late 1994, Boulder guitarist and record producer Charles Sawtelle called his old friend Laurie Lewis, a fiddler and singer. "He asked me if I would produce his solo album. I was very flattered," Lewis says, calling from her home in Berkeley, Calif. The CD had taken on special importance because Sawtelle, best-known as a member of Colorado's Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Hot Rize, had been diagnosed with leukemia a few months earlier. That conversation began a recording odyssey that was left incomplete when Sawtelle died at the age of 52 in 1999. "I knew as soon as Charles died I had to complete it," Lewis says. With help from his family of musical friends, including David Grisman, Michael Doucet and Peter Rowan, the fruit of her work has been realized in Sawtelle's newly released CD, Music From Rancho deVille. The 16-song collection ranges in style from Cajun to bluegrass and celebrates the life of one of Colorado's most distinctive musicians.

The album is named after Rancho deVille, the rough-hewn studio Sawtelle crafted out of an old stone building next to his home on a windswept vista near the foothills north of Boulder. "He named it Rancho deVille because he lived in a ranch house and he drove a '58 Cadillac Coupe deVille," Nick Forster says. Now producer of the Boulder-based E-Town radio program, Forster met Sawtelle in 1975 when both worked at the Denver Folklore Center.

That folk-music institution had also brought Sawtelle and Lewis together. Lewis was in Denver visiting her sister when they went to the center. Sawtelle, who was the old-guitar expert at the center, was performing there with the local bluegrass band the Rambling Drifters (or the Drifting Ramblers, depending on the day). Seeing her violin case -- she was then just an amateur musician -- he invited her onstage to play. Producing Music From Rancho deVille proved to be a daunting task for Lewis. "There were so many logistical problems," she says. "There was never any money, no advance from any record company. And whenever I visited (Boulder), Charles was under the weather (from the illness and the treatments)." Sawtelle received a bone-marrow transplant in 1997, and afterward he continued to produce CDs at his studio and play with his Fort Collins-based bluegrass band The Whippets.

When friends and heroes would come to town, Sawtelle would invite them over to play music. As a result, the new CD boasts an all-star cast of some of the best bluegrass, folk and roots music stars performing today. "He ended up with all those people because they knew him and loved him," Lewis says. Among those who dropped in were Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake and Flaco Jimenez.

Lewis began the task of producing the CD with only a tentative song list she'd discussed with Sawtelle and a wealth of songs in varying degrees of completion. She commuted to Rancho deVille to work her way through a plethora of tapes and fill in the spaces.

"Gonna Paint This Town was one song that I definitely wanted on the album," she says. "All that had been recorded were the rhythm tracks. Charles never felt well enough to record the lead vocals. Afterward, I asked Peter Rowan to sing and Richard Greene to add fiddle."

The final cut on the album is the hymn-like Angel Band. "Charles loved the song. He told me, when he was in the hospital for his bone-marrow transplant, the angel of death visited him," Lewis says. "He said he told the angel he wasn't ready to go yet."

A year after Sawtelle's death, Lewis assembled a dozen or so bluegrass performers, including Forster, Rowan and Pete Wernick, in a Kentucky hotel room to record a chorus for the poignant song. As the CD ends, the sound of bagpipes can be heard in the distance.

Forster says he knows Sawtelle would have been pleased. "Because of the CD, Charles has a much fuller legacy as an artist, a more accurate reflection of him as a creative being. There's not just bluegrass but ballads, hymns, romantic instrumentals and storytelling," he says. Sawtelle's former Hot Rize band mates appear only briefly on the album. "It's a funny thing, but Charles really did feel that everyone else (in Hot Rize) had gone on to do solo things. He wanted to do something that wasn't Hot Rize," Lewis says.

 

Review: A roots-music celebration
By John Lehndorff, News Staff Writer
If your only experience with the music of the late Charles Sawtelle was at Hot Rize concerts, his posthumous solo CD with songs from Woody Guthrie and Lefty Frizzell will be a revelation. The 16-song album opens with the rollicking instrumental The Butcher's Dog, featuring the guitarist with Laurie Lewis and Boulder's Jean Ballhorn on fiddle, David Grisman on mandolin, and Niwot banjoist Pete Wernick. Chez Seychelles and Jolie Faye are high-powered Cajun workouts anchored by the fiddle work of Beausoleil's Michael Doucet. Sawtelle's liking for dark folk tunes is represented in Aragon Mill -- with harmonies from Denver singer Mollie O'Brien -- and A.P. Carter's Forsaken Love, backed by Grisman, Norman Blake and Lewis.

Stitching the styles together are the impeccable flat-picked licks Sawtelle gleaned from his vintage Martin guitars and his bluegrass-perfect slightly nasal voice.

The liner notes include photos, tributes and recollections from Tim O'Brien, Grisman, Lewis, Nick Forster, Mollie O'Brien, Doucet and the evocative biography Pete Wernick wrote for Sawtelle's memorial service in Boulder. If you were one of his many Colorado friends and fans, Music From Rancho deVille will remind you why you loved him in the first place. If you have never heard of him, this all-star CD of genuine roots music is a tuneful way to immerse yourself in Sawtelle's milieu. March 3, 2001

Earth & Sky
The Laurie Lewis Songbook ~ Reviews

 

This is a comprehensive collection of music and lyrics by Laurie Lewis -- based on her 1997 CD of the same title -- with brief explanations of the roots of the songs, and the ideas and journeys that led to their conception. It is illustrated by a variety of cute cartoons and lots of
photographs of Laurie at various stages in her career, alongside her fellow musicians, family and friends.

The lyrics are delightful, and the tunes clearly notated with
directions for playing. For those not too familiar with Laurie, a multi-talented lady who is a singer-songwriter, fiddler, guitarist, bass-player and band-leader, accessing her website will soon acquaint you with her plethora of CDs and her collaborations with other musicians. Well-known in bluegrass circles, her style encompasses bluegrass, country and folk ballad, and there is a veritable feast of music downloads available to entice you to purchase her CDs. Her clear voice and skilled playing are the only obvious losses in buying her songbook! But for those like me who enjoy the broad canvas of her compositions -- mainly on love, nature, family, friendships, with a sprinkling of comic lyrics as well -- this book is great for learning her songs and singing them and/or playing them. There are 40 songs in total, listed by title, and also by first lines and a comprehensive discography in the back, naming the 10 CDs other than Earth & Sky from which the songs are taken, so if there are gaps in your collection, you may well also be tempted to fill them in as you read the songs.

 

Earth & Sky: The Laurie Lewis Songbook represents good value for money
and should be appreciated by imitators, musicians, singers and fans alike. I believe the title comes from "The Maple's Lament," a poignant and lovely song with a delicately mournful violin solo, inspired by the fashion of inscribing such instruments with Latin words which translate as "When I was alive I stood mute in the forest. Now, in death, I sing." Laurie's take on this was to say, "what about the tree?" "And
when the day would come I'd raise my branches to the sun. I was a child of earth and sky and all the world was one. ... I am but the slave who sings when master draws the bow. ... But sometimes from mem'ry I can sing the birds in flight/And I can sing of sweet dark earth and endless starry nights/But oh, my favourite song of all, I truly do believe/Is the song the sunlight sang to me while dancing on my leaves."

 

Aside from sounding the violin strings, if your heartstrings remain unplucked by Laurie's sentiments, then at least recommend this book to those who will enjoy her unique viewpoint on life.

 

- Rambles
written by Jenny Ivor
published 8 March 2003

 

Cliffs of Vermilion
Peter McLaughlin ~ CD Reviews

 

Larry Carlin / May 1, 1997

Even though Peter has made his first "solo" recording here, he has kept it all in the family -- both literally and figuratively -- as not only are members of Grant Street backing him up, the CD was produced by the multi-talented leader of the band, Laurie Lewis, and he does a duet with his brother David and one with his father Bill. So it sounds a lot like a Grant Street recording -- Laurie and Tom each even sing lead on a song -- with Peter doing most of the lead vocals. While not the most dynamic singer in the band, for a guy who doesn't get a chance to sing much on stage he sounds pretty good on his own.

There is a good mix of material on Cliffs Of Vermilion, and the production and pickin' are first rate. Yet such should come as no surprise to fans of Laurie Lewis and Grant Street, who are quite the talented band -- Laurie has several recordings of her own, bassman Todd Phillips recently won a Grammy for his Bill Monroe Tribute True Life Blues, and mandolin man Tom Rozum is recording his first solo project right now. But if you've ever wondered what that quiet guitar player in the band would sound like on his own, take a trip to the Cliffs Of Vermilion.

 

David McCarty, Acoustic Guitar
McLaughlin's credentials include winning the National Flatpicking Guitar Championships and playing with Laurie Lewis and Grant Street since 1991, but his flatpicking prowess hasn't yet received much attention. That should change with this record, a strong solo effort produced by Lewis with contributions from Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Tom Rozum, McLaughlin's brother David, and other top players. McLaughlin's flatpicking is tasteful, clean, and melodic, and the disc includes a great version of "Cotton Patch Rag." McLaughlin is also a talented composer; his instrumentals "Augusta Ridge" and "Picking Peppers" could easily become campfire standards. (Dog-Boy, PO Box 57233, Tucson, AZ 85732)

Jubilee
Tom Rozum ~ CD Reviews

 

No Depression #18 Nov/Dec '98

Stepping out as a bandleader for the first time, Tom Rozum has produced one of the better surprises of the year with Jubilee. Although best-known for his mandolin and guitar work with Laurie Lewis & Grant Street, here his talent shines with an all-star supporting cast and a tasteful collection of songs and styles. Leading off with a smooth bluegrass take on Don Helms' (Hank Williams' steel player) "Don't Fix Up the Doghouse" and following with a decidedly offbeat version of Merle Haggard's "One Sweet Hello" that recalls Uncle Walt's Band at its most tropical, Rozum sets up the listener for just about anything and then gladly follows through. Aided by Lewis, Herb Pedersen, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and a host of today's top pickers, he chooses rather obscure material from the likes of the Louvin Brothers ("Love Is a Lonely Street"), Bill Monroe ("On the Old Kentucky Shore"), Ralph Stanley ("Sweet Sally Brown"), Irving Berlin ("Without My Walking Stick") and David Olney ("Walk Downtown"), giving each his own spin, yet with an understated amount of polish and just a hint of good humor. (Jim Caligiuri)

 

Music Reviews Quarterly #4 Summer, '98

Acoustic musicians with a bluegrass bent have formed a strong community of talented players over the last twenty years in particular, and they help each other out when it comes time to go into the recording studio. Tom Rozum is part of that community, so his Jubilee is filled with talented players, most of whom also having solo recordings to their credit. Herb Pedersen, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Laurie Lewis, Todd Phillips, Rob Ickes, David Grier - all of these players deliver quality work and their playing on Jubilee is up to their own high standards on every cut. Take as a given that this recording contains some of the highest quality acoustic music you can set your money down for. It's clean, it's sharp, often subtle, and as fluid as playing gets. That will let us focus on Tom Rozum as a leader of that group of musicians.

 

The first thing Rozum gives them is a good range of material. A couple of the songs have the bluegrass feeling to them one might expect these players would enjoy - tunes by Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe, which would be standard fare for them. From there Rozum moves to a pure strain of country with songs like "Love is a Lonely Street" which the Louvin Brothers covered and which has that kind of pleasant melodic run they popularized. In the same vein are the Hank WIlliams, sr-ish "Don't Fix Up the Doghouse"; the Lefty Frizzell tune "Treasures Untold"; and Merle Haggard's "One Sweet Hello." Tom Rozum doesn't just present these as straight covers, playing instead with the pacings and textures and giving them fresh readings which in turn spark the players to try something a little different as well. The result is a fresh energy which comes off in a nicely understated way. ... ...From country Rozum moves logically into swing, allowing even there a range from the vamp of Irving Berlin's "Without My Walking Stick" to the classic western swing of "Ramblin' Blues." Not a songwriter himself (at least here), Rozum knows how to pick songs from past and present with good solid appeal to them.

 

Tom Rozum's voice is smooth, and in the end it is what separates his work from the solo works of all those other fine players. Rozum is an excellent mandolinist (and guitarist as well, although he only plays guitar here a couple of times), but his real distinction is as a vocalist. He works the higher end of the spectrum with a pleasing, friendly smoothness that bypasses the twang of bluegrass. He also uses Laurie Lewis as a harmony and duet singer frequently; their voices mesh nicely. When all the pieces assemble over the dozen songs, the result is a comfortably professional offering of acoustic music. Rozum billed this as a Jubilee, partly to honor his parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and he convinced everyone on this to play with that jubilee sense of fun. They didn't check their professionalism at the door, but they did allow themselves to be spontaneous while still being spotless. If Tom Rozum's parents were the inspiration for this recording, they must be two very enjoyable people.

 

Dirty Linen, Dec '98/Jan '99 #79

Tom Rozum Jubilee (Signature Sounds SIG1246 (1998) As Laurie Lewis' bandmate and duet partner, mandolinist Tom Rozum has always offered solid playing and soulful singing. His first solo recording, Jubilee, shows that Rozum also has the golden touch with selecting and arranging his own material. Jubilee's appealing menu blends obscure bluegrass chestnuts ("Sweet Sally Brown," "On the Old Kentucky Shore"), country and old time tunes ("Don't Fix Up the Doghouse," "One Sweet Hello"), and contemporary singer/songwriter fare (Mark SImos' title tune, David Olney's "Walk Downtown").

 

The sessions feature most of the heavy hitters from the California bluegrass scene, including Lewis, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, and Herb Pedersen, and the sound veers from traditional bluegrass to country swing to old time, depending on the material. Highlights include the sad, delicate title tune, the almost vaudeville sound imparted to Irving Berlin's "My Walking Stick," and the hopped up Western swing of "Ramblin' Blues." Rozum is also a talented graphic artist, and the progressively retro CD insert is almost as much fun to read as the music is to hear. (MP)

 

Gryphon Gazette Spring '99 211 Lambert Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306

It's that Laurie Lewis/ Tom Rozum duo again, with help from hot-stuff helpers like Herb Pedersen, Todd Phillips, Mike Marshall, Rob Ickes, and others of similar caliber. But this time it's Tom who called most of the shots and takes the lead. His unique view on those glory years when bluegrass bands and old-time stringbands and early country performers all got up on the same stage provides the variety that's lacking when modern performers get too focused on one style. The result is great listening, and the wonderful humor in the artwork on the liner notes alone is worth the price. (Richard Johnston)

 

Yoga Journal March/April 1999 #145

Probably best known in traditional music circles as Laurie Lewis' musical partner for the past 12 years in the Grant Street band, as well as on the Grammy-nominated The Oak and the Laurel duet CD, Tom Rozum certainly holds his own on his solo debut. The New England native possesses an earnest tenor voice in the vein of contemporary bluegrass great Tim O'Brien, and peels off rhythmically crisp licks on acoustic and electric mandolin and guitar. The repertoire varies from bluegrass and country to old-time fiddle tunes and late '40s western swing. The heartfelt harmonizing he, Lewis, and Sylvia Herold negotiate on the Louvin Brothers' "Love is a Lonely Street" provides enough soul to anchor the entire album. (Derk Richardson)

 

In Tune, Southern California Bluegrass News Mar/Apr '99

For Laurie Lewis fans who always wanted to hear a bit more from her talented sidekick, or for anyone who appreciates good mandolin work in a wide range of styles, this album is a real gem. (E. Burkett)

 

Mandolin magazine Vol. 1, Number 2, Fall 1999

Perhaps best known for his long musical association with bluegrass diva Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum has been a a big part of some of the best mandolin-oriented acoustic music and bluegrass made over the last 10 years. A quintessential stylist who creates mandolin breaks with the same passion and precision Monet put into his brush strokes, Tom Rozum ought to be recognized as a mandolinist of the first order. The release of Jubilee, his first solo CD, surely will go a long, long way to making more people aware of his formidable skills both as a mandolin player and a great singer, as well as a creative arranger.

Over the 12 tunes here, Rozum glides effortlessly from old-time country on tunes like "Don't Fix Up The Doghouse" and "Jubilee" to swing tunes such as "Walk Downtown" and "Ramblin' Blues" to straight-from-the-still bluegrass on "Sweet Sally Brown." Always a master at placing just the right instrument in just the right musical place, Rozum manages to blend his brilliant mandolin in without ever making it seem like he's showing off or playing a break because it's his record. But when it is his turn, such as on "Sweet Sally", he invariably nails a perfectly composed bluegrass solo that sounds utterly fresh and contemporary while perfectly fitting the tune's traditional vibe.

 

With such illuminaries as David Grier, Craig Smith, Todd Phillips, Laurie Lewis, Rob Ickes, Mike Marshall, Peter McLaughlin, Bobby Hicks and the late, lamented Charles Sawtelle on hand, Jubilee positively resonates with thoughtful, creative and impassioned playing and singing. Special note needs to be paid to Rozum's wonderfully zany sense of humor, reflected in the hilarious fake ads in his CD booklet for "The Original Carter Family Action Figures (Collect them all!)" and in his great Elvis impersonation in "Walk Downtown". Bravo, Tom! Jubilee is, quite simply, one of may favorite CDs in years. Rozum's mandolin playing never loses its way or strays from authenticity, and his singing, arranging and sense of musical vision should be a beacon to anyone who loves bluegrass and acoustic music. (Signature Sounds) -David McCarty

 

Vintage Guitar Magazine Acousticville #16 Oct '99

Tom Rozum's regular gig is with fiddler/songwriter extraordinaire Laurie Lewis. Together they form one of the best vocal duos in modern bluegrass. This "solo" album is anything but a solitary pursuit. Tom is joined by David Grier, Mike Marshall, Mary Gibbons, Peter McLaughlin, and the late Charles Sawtelle on guitars; Darol Anger, Bobby Hicks, and Laurie Lewis handle fiddle; Herb Pedersen, and Craig Smithpick banjo, Todd Phillips thumps bass, and Rob Ickes slides around the Dobro, and Tom takes all the mandolin parts. Material comes from a wide range of sources including Merle Haggard, Bill Monroe, David Olney, Pee Wee King, and Irving Berlin. The music goes from bluegrass, to old time country, to western swing, to country blues, and back.

 

What makes this album special is Tom's musical intelligence coupled with his pervasive wit. The result is songs that work. The opening cut, "Don't Fix Up the Doghouse" is a western-swing number written by Don Helms, Hank Williams' steel guitar player. Traditional bluegrass instruments make it swing without getting too slick. My favorite song on the album is "Without My Walkin' Stick". It's a Irving Berlin tin-pan alley number performed in a funky back alley style that jumps, jives, and shimmys. If you are even slightly into bluegrass or traditional American music Jubilee has to have a place very near your CD player, 'cause it's gonna get heavy playing time. (Steven Stone)

 

Country music round Up October 1999 (UK )

Tom Rozum Jubilee 1998 Signature Sounds SIG1246 (Import)

Tom Rozum, fine mandolin player and most accomplished lead, and harmony vocalist with Laurie Lewis since 1986, when he became an original member of the Grant Street Band. Apart from a duet recording he made with Lewis, The Oak and the Laurel on Rounder, it's hard to believe that Jubilee is his first solo work. But, nevertheless it's been worth the wait, and what a wide spectrum of quality fare he covers too.

 

Ranging from songs popularised by Lefty Frizzell, The Louvin Brothers and Hank Williams to the music of Irving Berlin ("Without My Walking Stick") to Merle Haggard's "One Sweet Hello". Rob Icke's dobro and Laurie Lewis' sweet harmonies being of the kind to die for, and there's the vintage bluegrass of Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley ("On the Old Kentucky Shore" and "Sweet Sally Brown" respectively capturing the thrill of a tradition that he's so faithful to). And that's just for starters, as Lewis and Darol Anger's fiddles, Todd Phillips' acoustic bass, Craig Smith's (and Herb Pederson's) banjo, Mary Gibbon's guitar and more besides get into the act.

 

Rozum's culture, all-around musicianship, his fine lead vocals, and guile as a harmony foil being something else.

 

Going back to the above, in text order there's deft instrumental, "Treasures Untold", done as a duo with Ickes and himself on guitar, "Love Is a Lonely Street" wafting a warm, mellow feel with relaxed three-part harmonies being a contrast to the toe-taping, swing-like western imbued, "Don't Fix Up the Doghouse" (oh, boy, what pickin' there is too on this one. David Grier on guitar being the star). Yet, there's so much to savour on this album, not least being a version of David Olney's "Walk Downtown", while Mark Simos title track, "Jubilee" offers a beauty of the sublime. It's southern feel reminiscent of something once done by banjoist vocalist Jimmy Arnold. PPPPP (5 stars) -Maurice Hope

 

Amazon.com

In Laurie Lewis's camp since 1986, Tom Rozum steps to the fore on an enchanting, warm-hearted solo debut. Of course, it helps to have talented playmates: Acoustic notables, including Lewis (who adds wonderful harmonies throughout), David Grier, Herb Pedersen, Darol Anger, Todd Phillips, Mike Marshall, and Rob Ickes all lend a hand. That's not to say that Rozum freeloads--his forceful mandolin strumming and genial, easy-flowing vocals always claim center stage. Among the dozen cuts are songs by Jimmie Rodgers (the plaintive "Treasures Untold"), Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, the Louvin Brothers, Don Helms (Hank Williams's steel player), Merle Haggard, and even Irving Berlin. Rozum's crafty reading of Berlin's "Without My Walking Stick" features his skulking mandolin with Marshall's frolicsome guitar. The swinging "Ramblin' Blues" adds Rozum's electric five-string mando and Ickes's lapsteel, while the gospel-influenced "Mason's Lament" offers sparklingfour-part harmonies. Without reservation, one of 1998's most rewarding acoustic releases. (Marc Greilsamer)