Shiflett, Karl / Big Country S

Amazon.com
Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs have been a major influence on every bluegrass player, even Bill Monroe. Usually, Scruggs's fleet three-fingered banjo rolls are the most obvious reflection--and Jake Jenkins handles that role here with aplomb--but Karl Shiflett's crew replicates the entire Flatt & Scruggs sound with uncanny ease. Shiflett's phrasing and amiable vocal delivery show a strong Flatt influence, and the ensemble harmonies and instrumental interplay certainly recall the Foggy Mountain Boys. And while the Big Country Show break no new ground, their debut record is quite an enjoyable and charming listen. They pull material from expected (Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs) and unexpected (Buck Owens, Tompall Glaser) sources while adding three strong originals to the mix. Keeping the classic bluegrass sound alive is a noble ambition, and imitation executed as sincerely as this beats self-conscious innovation any time. --Marc Greilsamer

Tracks:

You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone
Cold, Cold Love
Misery Loves Company
It's Fall Again
Jakebrakes
Another Day
The Day I Met An Angel
Juke Joint Boogie
Since You've Gone Away
Down In The Willow Garden
Now That You Have Me (You Don't Want Me)
The Old South
Standing In The Need Of Prayer

Amazon.com

It's no criticism of Karl Shiflett and his band to say they're living in the past. Recording around a set of vintage RCA Ribbon microphones, orchestrating each fiddle and mandolin break and each passionately harmonized chorus as if in homage to the sound and style of early Flatt & Scruggs and the original Blue Grass Boys, Shiflett positively nails the primordial dynamics of classic bluegrass. More impressively, he does so with a set dominated by original material. One of the best songs, banjo picker Jake Jenkins's mournful "Another Day," mirrors spare Carter Family ballads and perfectly suits Shiflett's homespun, twangy tenor. In Full Color is old-school bluegrass, and what it lacks in adventure and invention, it more than makes up for in heart, skill, and charm. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

I stumbled across it and really enjoy it ..........2002-06-28

... and, no, it's not just because we have the same last name!

I purchased this CD last year and took it with me when I went on deployment to the Arabian Gulf. On Sept. 11th, my ship went on high alert, and we went several weeks of long days with no port calls (or even plans for them). I must have listened to the CD 200 times in three months. One particular track, entitled "Another Day", about patience and faith, helped me to get through that long, hard period keeping (most of) my wits about me. Thanks.

-FC2(SW) Shiflett, Mark C., USN

Great old-fashioned, country-tinged bluegrass... :-).......2001-12-15

Wow! What a stunner...!! These Texas fellas have the old-style bluegrass sound down so well that when this disc starts belting out your speakers, you might do a double-take wondering if you bought an old Flatt & Scruggs album or some old Bill Monroe by accident. No fooling -- they're really that good, and they have that old-time sound. Recording through vintage equipment explains part if it, but how *anyone* in this day and age can sound so durn authentic is still pretty impressive! If you like the traditional, driving classic sound of late-'40s bluegrass, then you owe it to yourself to check these guys out!

A Must Have.........2001-03-18

Some things just can't be described in words, they have to experienced and this is very true regarding this CD. Listening to this CD was a joy, to say the least. The only thing better than this CD, is seeing them perform in person. They have captured the spirit of all the many past great legends in bluegrass and rolled them up into one fantastic package, then sprinkled it with their own spirit. This is not a CD you just listen to, you actually experience it. Don't miss it. ST

Average customer rating:

I just want to cry!
Best Traditional Bluegrass Recording in 20 yearsT

The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show
Karl Shiflett & Big Country
Manufacturer: Rebel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

In Full Color
Worries on My Mind

ASIN: B00000JT4S
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
The Love We Have Will Never Die
I Don't Care Anymore
Walkin' In The Big Country
Where The Smoke Goes Up (And The Money Goes Down)
I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome
When The Angels Carry Me Home
The Girl I Love Don't Pay Me No Mind
Delbert's Breakdown
The One I Love Is Gone
It's You Baby You
Gonna Have Myself A Ball
The Trail Of The Ancients

Amazon.com

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs have been a major influence on every bluegrass player, even Bill Monroe. Usually, Scruggs's fleet three-fingered banjo rolls are the most obvious reflection--and Jake Jenkins handles that role here with aplomb--but Karl Shiflett's crew replicates the entire Flatt & Scruggs sound with uncanny ease. Shiflett's phrasing and amiable vocal delivery show a strong Flatt influence, and the ensemble harmonies and instrumental interplay certainly recall the Foggy Mountain Boys. And while the Big Country Show break no new ground, their debut record is quite an enjoyable and charming listen. They pull material from expected (Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs) and unexpected (Buck Owens, Tompall Glaser) sources while adding three strong originals to the mix. Keeping the classic bluegrass sound alive is a noble ambition, and imitation executed as sincerely as this beats self-conscious innovation any time. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

I just want to cry!.......1999-12-18

You can't imagine how it feels being a Shiflett, and finding such fine musicians in the blood line! When I enjoy my Virginia ham this Christmas, you can bet that this CD's going to be spinning out the tunes. Every real Shiflett owes it to himself to have one of these albums! The fine crafted music, and the sentimental lyrics cut to the bone! It's the essence of what being a Shiflett is all about!

Best Traditional Bluegrass Recording in 20 yearsT.......1999-10-07

The boys from Texas have really done it this time. This is the best Bluegrass recording in 20 years. Great traditional,hard-driving Bluegrass done in the old style,compares to the best Flatt and Scruggs ever released.This is a must have CD.

Average customer rating:

An exciting classic sound of yesteryear
Bluegrass with a country feel

Worries on My Mind
The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show
Manufacturer: Rebel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

In Full Color
The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show

ASIN: B0000DIJOY
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Tracks:

Worries On My Mind
Turn Around
If I Could Take You Home
Bobo's Boogie
How Wrong A Man Can Be
I Still Miss Someone
Truck Dirving Man
I Live In The Past
Hoss Fly
I Wish I Was Him
Each Night I Dream Of A Lady
Oh Lord, I Pray

Customer Reviews:

An exciting classic sound of yesteryear.......2003-10-23

Playing Time - 36:46 -- Karl's back with his brand of honky-tonkin' country and retrograss. His third release for Rebel Records has twelve cuts with seven originals written by the band's banjo-player, Jake Jenkins. Shiflett sings with a lot of pep and vinegar, and "If I Could Take You Home" is a favorite. Another standout track is definitely "How Wrong A Man Can Be" with a guest appearance by Jim Lauderdale singing lead. Mandolinist Randy Lindley contributed the bouncy "Bobo's Boogie," while dobroist Andy Ruff composed "Each Night I Dream of a Lady," a song he sings solo with a real nice old-fashioned country twang. Jenkins' instrumental, "Hoss Fly" is a barn-burner. Covers from Johnny Cash ("I Still Miss Someone"), Terry Fell ("Truck Driving Man"), and Virginia Stauffer ("I Live in the Past") round out the project.

Since they formed in 1993, The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show have exhibited a great deal of hard work, effort and dedication to preserving a traditional style of country music. They were recipients of the 2001 International Bluegrass Music Association's "Emerging Artist Award." In 2002, they were nominated for the Entertainer of the Year Award, and Jake Jenkins was nominated for Banjo Player of the Year.

The band includes lead vocalist Karl Shiflett (rhythm guitar), Kris Shiflett (upright bass), Jake Jenkins (banjo), Randy Lindley (mandolin), Chuck Westerman (fiddle), Andy Ruff (dobro), and Billy Box (percussion). Lindley sings solo lead on "I Live in the Past," and the band's quartet is featured on the album's gospel closer, "Oh Lord, I Pray." Inspired by the spirit and soul of bluegrass music, these guys are rejuvenating and promoting an exciting classic sound of yesteryear. Gathering around their single ribbon mic labelled "KSBC," the band takes an earthy approach to their music which recalls the day when country, bluegrass and old-time mountain music were very nearly the same and radio stations played it all.

For some genuinely guttural music that also makes the heart feel good, "Worries on my Mind" is a good choice. The crisp and clean sound quality is in-your-face excellent. Back in the fifties, I'd call this album hunkydory. I guess that description would still hold true today. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Bluegrass with a country feel.......2003-10-19

Yup... no doubt about it: Karl Shiflett is one of modern bluegrass' most underrated secret weapons -- his bluesy country approach doesn't seem to ring the right chord with some of the bluegrass crowd's more "purist" elements, but for folks like me, who just loved Jimmy Martin's old crossover records, Shiflett's style is a real blast. This new album is a doozy -- seems less 'grassy and more country than ever, but still packed with one great losin,' boozin' heartsong after another... For the traditionalist truegrass crowd, there are still a few dazzlers such as his zippy "Hoss Fly" instrumental and the equally dazzling, '50s rock-tinged "Bobo's Boogie." If you're willing to branch out a little, Shiflett and his Texas crew can really knock your socks off...!

Music Album:

Music Album