Search - Albert Lee :: Heartbreak Hill

Heartbreak Hill
Albert Lee
Heartbreak Hill
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (10) - Disc #1

In this age of "cool" we shouldn?t forget that Emmylou Harris once fronted an aggregation called the Hot Band. Together they showed us that respect for the song and exciting instrumental breaks were not mutually exclusive....  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Albert Lee
Title: Heartbreak Hill
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sugarhill
Original Release Date: 1/1/2003
Re-Release Date: 10/14/2003
Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock
Styles: Today's Country, Neotraditional, Contemporary Folk, Oldies & Retro, Country Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 015891397726

Synopsis

Amazon.com
In this age of "cool" we shouldn?t forget that Emmylou Harris once fronted an aggregation called the Hot Band. Together they showed us that respect for the song and exciting instrumental breaks were not mutually exclusive. Albert Lee was an integral part of that band for a number of years, following the legendary James Burton in the lead guitar chair. The diminutive Englishman?s fluid, rapid-fire solos were an inspiration to generations of pickers to follow. Two such generations, Vince Gill (who followed him in the Hot Band) and young turk Brad Paisley, join him here for a rave-up instrumental version of "Luxury Liner" that should satisfy the most hard-core of guitar geeks. But Heartbreak Hill is not merely a virtuosity vehicle. Instead Lee pays tribute to some of the fine songs that his former famous employer recorded. His serviceably sincere vocals won?t make you forget Harris? heart-wrenching performance of a Rodney Crowell masterpiece like "?Til I Gain Control Again," but with help from singing masters like Patty Loveless and Buddy Miller, rockers like "Heaven Only Knows," and the title tune have an Everly Brothers-style charm. If nothing else this record will remind you of a time when the players rightfully shared the spotlight with the singers. --Michael Ross

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CD Reviews

Well, not quite...
Daniel Morris | Westlake, OH USA | 12/02/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The problem with this (welcome) new disc by guitar phenom Albert Lee is that too many songs hover around a medium tempo, and though fine tunes in their own right, do not lend themselves well to showing off Lee's extraordinary chops. It may be true here that Lee's biggest hurdle is older Albert Lee recordings, as this one just isn't COUNTRY BOY-era awesome. Luxury Liner certainly helps reaffirm his status, but often the best musicians are not always the best leaders. The CD is pleasant enough, but needs more spice."
Easily one of the best CD's of 2003
Gaylen Halbert | Weimar, California United States | 11/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is just great. Albert Lee at his best complimented by musicians and a production that reward repeated listenings. You can trust me on this one."
Rich and twangy
twangmon | Nashville, TN USA | 12/27/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of stuttering, spitty country guitar have waited years for a new solo album from the genre's maestro, Albert Lee. There's plenty of outrageous playing here -- Lee is as ripping as ever -- but it's the songs that make Heartbreak Hill so rewarding. Tearing into first-rate material by the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Delbert McClinton, Lee draws sheets of clucky, Stratoid tones from his signature Music Man, while never losing his grip on the vocals, arrangements, or rolling grooves. Throughout the record, Lee punctuates his fiery licks with sudden wang-bar dips -- a cool effect. Some highlights: In "Born to Run," Lee spins more than two minutes of snappy double-stops and whining bends into a mind-melting outro. On an instrumental rendition of "Luxury Liner" -- a showcase for Lee when he replaced James Burton in Emmylou Harris' Hot Band in the late '70s -- he dukes it out with fellow 6-string slingers Vince Gill and Brad Paisley. Whoa! Pedal-steel giant Buddy Emmons adds soaring lines to many of the selections, and Jerry Douglas makes his Scheerhorn resonator cry in an old George Jones classic, "One of These Days." And with his solo on "'Til I Gain Control Again," Lee proves he's as eloquent on a ringing flat-top as a snarling electric."