Search - Nanci Griffith :: One Fair Summer Evening

Bless the ships at sea, bless the boys in khaki

emilyss@mediaone.net | New York, NY | 08/18/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I take back everything I ever said about Nanci's MCA era records being worse than her Philo or Elektra recordings. This is not just the best Nanci cd, it's among the best live concert recordings ever made.From a "little song written by Mister Patrick Alger" ("Once in a Very Blue Moon") to the red brick floor that came "straight from the streets of Houston, swiped one night in a pickup truck..." there's not a false note on this album. Her live versions of favorites like "Working in Corners" and "Trouble in the Fields" take the songs so far beyond what we ever knew they could be on the studio versions -- and they weren't half bad to begin with. The live version of "Working in Corners" is possibly my favorite song of all time. Any true Nanci fan will tell you, though, that the best part of this cd is the patter -- classic Nanci stories, from the tale of Great Uncle Tootie in the intro to "Trouble in the Fields" to the traveler's guide to Woolworth's stores that leads in to "Love at the Five and Dime" -- "we were driving through central London and we came around the corner and by golly there was a Woolworth's store! And I wanted them to stop the car and let me out so I could go fill up my suitcase with unnecessary plastic objects!" -- this is about as close as you can come to seeing Nanci in concert yourself. Better, even, sometimes, because she plays all the old hits, tracks like "Roseville Fair" and "Deadwood, South Dakota" (a really marvelous Eric Taylor tune) that you almost never hear in shows these days.There's not much to say, except that this is truly brilliant. If you own one Nanci cd, it should be this one. But then, if you own this cd, it won't be your last Nanci cd, I'd wager. ;) There's no reason not to own this cd. It's among the must-haves for any lover of folk music -- of good music! -- of the latter part of the 20th century."

Why doesn't everyone listen to Nanci griffith?

Brion Burkett | roseville, ca | 07/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I used to manage a record store and I could put this album on and sell a copy within minutes. Nanci Griffith appeals to all cultures and musical tastes-basically to anyone with a heart. I have personally given away three of these cd's to friends who now love her music.Utah phillips says that folk music is boring. That may be true, but not in the case of the wonderful Nanci Griffith here at her best. Trouble In These Fields...Roseville Fair...I still cry hearing these songs. These are songs that bring you to a place of hope and humor and a sense of tradition that just isn't that common nowadays. If you only buy one more album ever, make it this one. You won't regret it..."

One of my top three

David Peterson | Englewood, CO USA | 12/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was first exposed to Nanci Griffith when I stumbled upon her music videos on CMT many years ago. This prompted me to buy a cassette of 'One Fair Summer Evening', and I liked it, but lost interest. Years later I stumbled on it again, and the fire was rekindled. Now I have almost all her works on CD, including several imports and a pirate CD or two.This album is delicious in its mix of songs, made all the more delectable because it is a live album. What's interesting is how much Nanci's stage presence had developed by that time, and how much more it has done so since. Here she still has that timid little-girl voice during the conversations between songs. This has gone away in the proceeding years as she has matured. Nanci has a huge following in the genre, most probably because of the depth of feeling in her songs, and the warmth that comes through.This album would rate third or fourth on my list of her albums, preceded by 'Sound Of Loneliness' (a live-concert import from England) and Blue Roses From the Moons. However, I agree with a previous reviewer that I would be hard pressed to choose between them if I could only choose one.I, too, have several copies of the album, managing over the years to acquire it on LP, CD, and cassette, as well as the video of the concert.I must disagree with several of the other reviewers in comparing this album to 'Other Voices, Other Rooms'. While OVOR is an important work, and does contain excellent performances, 'One Fair Summer Evening' as a whole is a better reflection of what Nanci is about; where she comes from and where she is going. OVOR is not in my Top Five, and definitely would not be on my list for a desert island. '"