Finding Our Way

1. All I Ever Wanted Was You

2. Still Haunts Me

3. Smoke & Mirrors

4. Dixie Wire

5. Before You're Home

6. My Way Again

7. My Train

8. Old Kentucky Wind

9. I Want to Talk to You

10. Dry Eyes

11. Rainman

Tracks:

All I Ever Wanted Was You
Still Haunts Me
Smoke & Mirrors
Dixie Wire
Before You're Home
My Way Again
My Train
Old Kentucky Wind
I Want to Talk to You
Dry Eyes
Rainman

Customer Reviews:

Rare Gem.......2003-10-14

I was raised on country music, but I can't stand to listen to country radio anymore. The slick, bland production values and Hallmark Card lyrics are tiresome and uninspiring. Fortunately, the Mickeys, with their debut album, establish themselves as the exact opposite of that trend.

Spare instrumentation backs clean, clear vocal harmonies of twin sisters Amy and Julie Mickey, creating an uncluttered, folk-driven soundscape. Strong images like title images in "My Train" and the first single, "Smoke and Mirrors," create a lush poetic tone that more than makes up for the small production budget. Many songs, like "Dixie Wire" and "Old Kentucky Wind," have a tone that would be easily favored by anyone who prefers quality over a mass market appeal. And the song "Before You're Home" brings back one of the most neglected American story-song forms in recent history, the Civil War ballad.

There's a strong bluegrass root in this album that makes it more amenable to country's traditions than better-known acts like Terri Clark and Martina McBride. There are also strong threads of Okie folk and Celtic music that I wish radio country used more. Yet despite this use of traditional elements, the sound of the album is sufficiently distinct to establish the voice of the artists clearly from the first notes.

The album isn't faultless. The song "Dry Eyes" has a very preachy tone that doesn't sit well with the emotional tenor of the rest of the album, and there's a hidden track of somebody yelling "Yeeeeehaaa" that serves nothing artistic. I'd also like to see a little more linking the tracks: songs that are thematically unrelated butt against one another, requiring the listener to forcibly shift mindsets.

But when you compare this album to most of what's being played on the radio, and what's getting the publicity budget to be heard by a mass audience, this album stands head and shoulders above its competition. With its appeal to country, folk, and crossover audiences, it's an eminently listenable album. I look forward to finding out what the Mickeys will produce in the future.

Great Music. Great Harmony........2003-07-05

This disc is a wonderful blend of country, folk, and bluegrass. It's one of those albums where the more you listen to it, the more you enjoy it. We find ourselves playing it over and over as we travel around. It reminds us of Alison Krauss' later solo efforts which combine strong vocals, expert instrumentation, and a nice, flowing musical experience.

This is a great first release, which makes us look forward to the next. We wish there were more already available. Take a look at their site as well. ...

Buy this disc. You won't be disapointed.

A tradition continues!.......2003-06-10

I grew up listening to what was commonly called "chicken rock". It was an amalgam of rock 'n' roll, country, rockabilly, and folk, some of it with more pop influences. The Everly Brothers were probably the best exponent of that type of music, and with all that, they brought the "blood harmonies" of family church singing with it.

This new release, the debut recording of The Mickeys, is a refreshing return to that style of singing. Identical twins Julie and Amy Mickey, educated in the business side of the music industry as well as the production side, have put together one of the finest releases so far in 2003. Five of the eleven songs were either written or co-written by at least one of them, and they have adeptly chosen songs by other writers that show off their best asset...their voices. "Smoke And Mirrors" could easily be done by Martina McBride with much more substantial instrumentation, but the spare, acoustic arrangements of most of the album allows the lyrics not only to be understood, but absorbed. "Before You're Home", written by both Amy and Julie with Tom Rogers, reminds you of older Holly Dunn arrangements, and "My Train" could have easily ended up on an Alan Jackson album.

I've had a copy of this disc on my car stereo for the last week. I don't intend to stop listening to it for a good long while.

Tracks:

Gonna Thank the Lord
He Gives Me Joy
Two Coasts
Teach Me To Pray
Clear Skies Medley
The Eyes of Jesus
Listening With My Heart
Sing of His Love
Your Blessings
Time to Pray
He Loves Me
It's You Lord
Oh Lord, I Am Not Worthy
Lift Them Up
He's Always There
You Make the Difference
Ease Their Pain
Common Thread
Farther Along/With You Always

Album Description

With You Always/Clear Skies In 1994, Kathy Tugman made her first album, "With You Always." The songs on the album had been written over several years, years during which Kathy was enmeshed in the rearing of four children, all in their teens. It was, as she says, "a time of chaos and peace, of angst and happiness, of searching and spiritual growth, and of great love." The writing of the songs and then the making of the album were ways for Kathy to express her gratitude for the grace that filled her heart in those years and to convey to others what she had learned about life during this period of intense living. The album was very well received, striking a resonant chord in the hearts of many listeners. In its original release, the album contained twelve songs and was available only on audio cassette.

Now, nine years later, Kathy has responded to numerous requests that she re-release "With You Always" on compact disc. But she has done more than that: the 2003 version contains seven new songs.

"With You Always/Clear Skies" remains a remarkable document of a heart capable of great love and a spirit that is open and quiet within. As mentioned earlier, Kathy originally undertook the work from an impulse of gratitude and a desire to share her thankful take on what can, at times, be the difficult and daunting task of making a family. That impulse and desire are as strong as ever, and they are given an even more forceful delivery with the addition of the "Clear Skies" set to the mix. Kathy's message, one that urges involvement and peaceful acceptance at the same time, is as vivid now as it was in the original release - even more so, you will say, when you listen.

Finding Our Way Home
Average customer rating:
Finding Our Way Home
Pendragon
Manufacturer: RiverFolk
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Styles | Music
General | International | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000KENWHE

Product Description

1. Kevin Doyle's Hornpipe/The Humours Of Tulla ; 2. Restless Waters ; 3. Taking Great Care/Bill Hart's Jig ; 4. Susanna Martin ; 5. Finding Our Way Home ; 6. Sliabh Luachra Polkas/Roy Rogers Comes To Killaloe ; 7. All In Time ; 8. Castle Kelly/Ju Ju Reel ; 9. Deer Island ; 10. Vas Claudette/La Revion ; 11. Welcome ; 12. The Emigrant's Return

Music Album:

Music Album