Honey in the Lion's Head

Honey in the Lion's Head

Honey in the Lion's Head

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A singer-songwriter revered by other troubadours, Iowa's Greg Brown here applies his craggy baritone to a selection of folk standards and obscurities in the public domain. There's an organic earthiness in Brown's voice, while the musical support has a homespun spirit thanks to harmonies from daughters Pieta and Constie Brown as well as Brown's wife, Iris DeMent. Many of the interpretations mine the darker strains of folk tradition--Brown takes the brooding "Who Killed Cock Robin" far from the whimsy of a children's song--while his "Old Smokey" strays a long way from the familiar into a ballad of romantic faithlessness. It would be hard to imagine a lower lonesome than his "Down in the Valley" until he hits the suicidal despair of "I Never Will Marry." Yet the rousing gospel of "Samson" and "Jacob's Ladder" brings the set to a spirited finale, and the spare instrumental interplay of fiddler and mandolinist Al Murphy, banjoist Bob Black, and guitarist and co-producer Bo Ramsey is superb throughout. Without reading the credits, one would never know that the two contemporary songs--Brown's "Ain't No One Like You" and Jim Garland's worker's anthem "I Don't Want Your Millions Mister"--aren't traditional folk as well. --Don McLeese

Honey in the Lion's Head,Greg Brown,Trailer Records,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop
Honey in the Lion's Head
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Listen at work or anywhere
  • Easy
  • I grew up with Greg's music.
 Honey in the Lion's Head
Greg Brown
Manufacturer: Trailer Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000ZMHBA
Release Date: 2004-01-27

Tracks:

  1. Railroad Bill
  2. I Believe I'll Go Back Home
  3. Who Killed Cock Robin
  4. Old Smokey
  5. The Foggy Foggy Dew
  6. Down in the Valley
  7. Ain't No One Like You
  8. Green Grows the Laurel
  9. I Don't Want Your Millions Mister
  10. I Never Will Marry
  11. Samson
  12. Jacob's Ladder

Amazon.com

A singer-songwriter revered by other troubadours, Iowa's Greg Brown here applies his craggy baritone to a selection of folk standards and obscurities in the public domain. There's an organic earthiness in Brown's voice, while the musical support has a homespun spirit thanks to harmonies from daughters Pieta and Constie Brown as well as Brown's wife, Iris DeMent. Many of the interpretations mine the darker strains of folk tradition--Brown takes the brooding "Who Killed Cock Robin" far from the whimsy of a children's song--while his "Old Smokey" strays a long way from the familiar into a ballad of romantic faithlessness. It would be hard to imagine a lower lonesome than his "Down in the Valley" until he hits the suicidal despair of "I Never Will Marry." Yet the rousing gospel of "Samson" and "Jacob's Ladder" brings the set to a spirited finale, and the spare instrumental interplay of fiddler and mandolinist Al Murphy, banjoist Bob Black, and guitarist and co-producer Bo Ramsey is superb throughout. Without reading the credits, one would never know that the two contemporary songs--Brown's "Ain't No One Like You" and Jim Garland's worker's anthem "I Don't Want Your Millions Mister"--aren't traditional folk as well. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Listen at work or anywhere.......2005-01-03

This isn't a typical folk or country CD. In fact i don't like either genre but this CD is great. The more you listen the more you love it. I listen to it constently and haven't tired of it yet. The way that Greg Brown sings along with his lyrics make this cd fun to listen to.

5 out of 5 stars Easy.......2004-10-19

Greg Brown kind of takes care of you when you put on one of his records. You know he's going to get it right and make you feel the way you want to feel: contented. And so it is with this one, a collection (an odd collection in many ways) of mostly old tunes. The one I love most is 'Foggy Foggy Dew' which is a perfect, rather sad, but lilting folk song, beautifully arranged. Like all the tracks on the album, the sound quality is, as we've come to expect from Greg Brown, to audiophile standards. If you've got a decent hi fi, it's like having him right there in the room with you. Every song on this album is carefully, but simply crafted, and I suspect it's something I'll want to listen to for many years yet.

5 out of 5 stars I grew up with Greg's music........2004-06-23

I'm an Iowan, and I'm biased. I also have seen and heard Greg so many times I have forgotten, but am always real pleased when I hear how he is admired by his peers instead of just his many fans.
He's a melancholy guy with just enough smart ass to keep me
always interested. His music makes the passing of every year just that much easier. Listen to a sample, don't miss this.

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