Tony Rice - Plays Sings Bluegrass (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

Great

Mark J. Fowler | 07/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a bluegrass fan, this is a must for your collection. Tony Rice is a supreme guitarist who also knows what it takes to produce a great sounding song. I have several of his CDs and tapes and throughly enjoy each one. If you love guitar music and other stringed music, then get this album."

Bound for movin' on?

J.B. | 07/26/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of Tony Rice, and have been for years. And listening to his albums has turned me on to a group of musicians that form the core of my folk-roots listening: Jerry Douglas as David Grisman being the shining stars. When I latch on to a musician, I expect him/her to lead me down their musical path. Take me with them on their musican growth. While an awesome guitar player and a darn good vocalist, Tony Rice's path has been, for me, a big circle. In this album we find him rehashing some old Ian and Sylvia, for instance, and bringing nothing new to the table. Nothing that sounds different from what he did 15 years ago. Come on, Tony! You're one of the greatest guitar players who ever lived. Let's move on!. I vote for the late-80s Native American as the pinnacle."

A classic bluegrass recording

Mark J. Fowler | 06/16/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tony Rice is sometimes criticised by "purists" for not sticking to pure bluegrass, and branching off into contemporary and jazz music, even employing piano and drums at times. But, Tony has always maintained a steady stream of pure bluegrass recordings through the years, along with the other. Several of them have become absolute bluegrass classics. "Cold on the Shoulder", "Manzanita", "Skaggs and Rice", "Guitar", "California Autumn" and of course all of the "Bluegrass Album Band" volumes are essentially Tony Rice recordings. This album is an essential recording. No piano or drums here! The songs are great, the musicians Tony has selected are among the best in the world at this type of music, Tony's voice at this point was still in prime condition, and of course his playing here is classic "Rice" flatpicking. This is a "must have" recording in any serious bluegrass collection."

"The Master" cuts loose one more time...

Mark J. Fowler | Okinawa, Japan | 10/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No one has been more influential in performance of acoustic guitar than Tony Rice.

Nobody.

Rice is a master of just about every genre that his Martin Herringbone D-28 could be applied to. Along with David Grisman he pretty much founded American String Jazz. Certainly those Rice/Grisman bands were strongly modeled after Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt's Quintette Du Hot Club de France, but NOBODY in America (or really the entire world) was making music like theirs when they recorded the iconic "David Grisman Quintette" album.

Tony also payed his country dues - in what was probably the "hottest" country band in history. Emmylou Harris's bands are called "The Hot Band" and it was NEVER hotter than the version that included Tony on his acoustic trading licks with electric wizard Albert Lee and Dobro master Jerry Douglas. If I had to take a single country album to a deserted island it would have to be Emmylou's "Roses in the Snow".(It's worth mentioning that the same band also featured Ricky Skaggs on every instrument he could get his talented hands on - mainly fiddle and mandolin.)

Tony has also demonstrated that he has a fine touch with acoustic-based pop, with multiple covers of the likes of Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. (There's a whole collection of Rice doing just Lightfoot covers that is absolutely smashing!)

ALL of the above was written just to give some context before saying that the genre I consider Tony's "home" is Bluegrass, and for about 20 years beginning in the early seventies pretty much EVERY landmark Bluegrass recording featured Tony's blistering guitar and his urgent soulful vocals.

To all our sorrows Tony's voice has succumbed to multiple vocal-chord polyps, leaving him sounding like a late edition Miles Davis.

THIS album was that last great recording of Rice's fine singing, and it is fitting that he used the voice he had left to record this fine collection of Bluegrass and Newgrass tunes. The old 'bone never sounded better and from his opening ear-stretching bend on his solo to "I've Waited As Long As I Can" you can hear that "the master" is in full control of the most influential flatpicking technique of Bluegrass history.

Tony is joined by a collection of old buddies - meaning Bluegrass Superstars - and they bear down on 13 gold-plated-bluegrass-gems. I could go to the trouble of reciting a review of every tune on the disc, but the truth is there are no "duds".

Enjoy."

Search - Tony Rice :: Plays & Sings Bluegrass

CD Details

Synopsis

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews