Search - Charlie Daniels :: By Light of Moon: Campfire Songs & Cowboy Tunes

In the 1970s, fiddler Charlie Daniels was one of the few almost completely country-leaning artists to make a play on the mainstream rock market. He did splendidly for a while, and the production values he learned playing in rock-inflected settings show clearly on his first kids recording. By the Light of the Moon is most surely a country recording, but it has all the driving rhythmic energy of an elegantly mastered rock album. The drums sound fat and still crisp, the guitars bright. Daniels's voice, especially during the interludes where he speaks about the music, reveals a timeworn huskiness that will charm kids looking for a cowboy to sing to them. The songs emphasize the old, with "John Henry" and "I'm an Old Cowhand" standing out. The latter includes Daniels playing short fiddle solos that cut a nice, fresh path through the tune. A sonically splashy session indeed, By the Light of the Moon has enough old-timey vibrance to merit a spot in any roots-oriented kids collection. --Andrew Bartlett