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Old Time Gathering: A charming CD you will always cherish

Luis Arellano III | Quakertown, PA United States | 06/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Want something really refreshing? If you like stringed instruments, you will get great pleasure from the unusual variety of sounds here, including hammered dulcimer, autoharp, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo. I don't usually get so excited about a purchase, but here's a real treat well-deserving of mention.I originally bought this CD for my wife because it contains "Shenandoah," one of her favorite songs, but we immediately fell in love with the charming, nostalgic, down-home sound of nearly every one of the 24 tracks on this Cumberland release, most recently marketed in the CD displays at Cracker Barrel Restaurants. I took it to my dentist's office, where they played it over the office system while attending to a root canal. It made the time pass quickly and incited plenty of foot-tapping and revelry. When they were done with me, the dentist and his staff wanted to know where they could get a copy. They gave me the money to pick one up for them on my next trip! After the dentist retired, his staff lamented that he took it with him, and now they want another one.The sound recording itself is crisp, clean, well-balanced and well-mastered. It's a first-rate production job that would satisfy the fussiest audiophile in hi-fi earphones.The playing is expert, the beat is rock steady and some of the mellifluous passages are amazingly complex and fast, not to mention extremely catchy. The instruments are supple and in excellent tune. The arrangement of songs gives the CD an excellent flow with a good mix of fast and slow pieces, with appeal to a broad audience.My wife and I especially enjoy this CD in the car while traveling. It has plenty of familiar tunes that you will be humming to yourself all night and next day. If you shut off the car in the middle of a tune, you will still be humming it when you get back in and turn the key again!I'm back on the internet right now to buy more for gifts, and not observing any used ones - a further testimonial to the staying power of this great CD. You will definitely be charmed, your long trips will pass quickly, and your office day will be more productive and a lot less dreary with this music playing in the background. ENJOY!"