Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Fiddler and vocalist Laurie Lewis has gone about assembling an exceptional and wide-ranging catalog while earning relatively few laurels outside of hardcore folk and bluegrass circles. Her Bluegrass Pals, Lewis's resolute return to sounds that first inspired her to take up music as a teen, is one more title deserving of greater acclaim. Working with a backing quartet spearheaded by longtime sideman Tom Rozum and in-demand bassist Todd Phillips, Lewis exhibits uncommon expertise and taste while tackling traditionals and expanding the repertoire with select covers (Gillian Welch's "Acony Bell," Hazel Dickens's "Beyond the River Bend") and distinctive originals. Fans of contemporary bluegrass who aren't already aware of Lewis and her Pals would be well-advised to make their acquaintance. --Steven Stolder

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals,Laurie Lewis,Rounder / Pgd,Bluegrass,Country & Western,Folk & Traditional,Neo-Traditional Folk,Pop,Progressive Bluegrass,Traditional Bluegrass

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Their approach bridges the music perfectly with ones who have gone on before them

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, the Golden West

Golden West by Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands

If you like Alison Krauss, you enjoy Laurie!

The Golden West
Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands
Manufacturer: Hightone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
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Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals

Quartet

Guest House

Slidin' Home

Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis

ASIN: B000H5V8T0
Release Date: 2006-09-19

Tracks:

Your Eyes
Burley Coulter's Song For Kate Helen Branch
99 Year Blues
Before The Sun Goes Down
Live Forever
Rank Stranger
Bury Me In Bluegrass
The Golden West
A Hand To Hold
River Under The Road
Hard Luck In Heaven
The Mourning Clock
Goodbye Waltz

Album Description

The Golden West features Lewis' distinctive blend of styles: bluegrass, old-timey, folk, and country. Not only does she provide a variety of styles, but lead vocalists as well. Material includes several new originals and coverse by diverse songwriters including Bill Monroe, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jimmie Rodgers, Albert Brumley, and Billy Joe Shaver.

Customer Reviews:

Their approach bridges the music perfectly with ones who have gone on before them.......2006-12-19

Playing Time - 52:53 -- Laurie Lewis' bandmates call themselves "The Right Hands," but they sure sound ambidextrous to me. For three days in July 2005, the quintet of Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum, Scott Huffman, Craig Smith, and Todd Phillips hung out at Sage Arts Studio outside Arlington, Wa. A self-proclaimed "river rat," Laurie gained energy from the fast-moving current of the Stillaguamish just outside their guest house door. Lewis admits that they'd planned to be more prepared for the session, but that might've actually detracted from some of the spontaneous energy that the currents of this album exude. Her own observation was, "Everything seemed so fresh and enticing to us, hearing and playing the majority of these tunes for the first time as a group."

Not just a fantastic fiddler and singer, Lewis does some exceptional songwriting for this CD that also includes covers from Jimmy Martin, John Hartford, Albert Brumley, Bill Monroe, Jimmie Rodgers, and even other more contemporary writers like Billy Joe Shaver and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Laurie contributes two compositions. "Your Eyes" opens the set with the kind of unique and expressive sound that gives Laurie a creative signature sound. You can't help but smile at the catchy melodic progression and hook "I was in the lead, but I stumbled at the rail. I was flying high, but I'm a kite with no tail. I'm gonna fall, and I was doing so well, until I looked into your eyes."

Laurie's much slower reflective acoustic country number, "A Hand To Hold," features a duet with Linda Ronstadt as they sing this tribute in song for guitarist Charles Sawtelle with passionate lines like "My mind has been full, but my voice has been still, in all this time since you've been gone." A minor point, but the song could've been even more effective as a male/female duet. While all lyrics for the album can be found at her website, I sure wish that her short insightful notes about each song had been included in the CD's digipak. How cool is it to know that "Burley Coulter's Song For Kate Helen Branch," for example, was one of Wendell Berry's poems that he asked Laurie to put it to music? And that Linda Rondstadt suggested "Rank Stranger" for this album, based on their experience first singing with The Bluebirds (Laurie and Linda with Maria Muldaur) at Wintergrass in 2005. Their high, soaring soprano notes together (along with Tom's harmony) are amazing.

A jilted woman gets her revenge in Karah Stokes' poetic "The Mourning Cloak," a species of butterfly that becomes a "messenger of sorrow deep." An interesting perspective on leaving home or selling the farm is "Bury Me In Bluegrass," that is a lyrical statement consistent with the bumper sticker on Laurie's guitar case that proclaims, "Growth Destroys Bluegrass Forever." With that sentiment also in mind, Laurie and the Right Hands walk a fine line with their thoughtful music. Their approach manages to bridge the music perfectly with ones who have gone on before them. We don't exactly know the inspiration behind Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe's instrumental "The Golden West," but we do know that those in California, as well as throughout the world, have embraced the power and intensity that the genre has to offer. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, the Golden West.......2006-11-10

Featuring the best of Laurie Lewis' melding of Old-Time, traditional country and bluegrass music with newer instrumental expressions and songs, this whole album (13 tunes) is terrific, thanks to Laurie's vocals, fiddling, arranging, and song-writing and her talented "right hands" Tom Rozum, Craig Smith, Scott Huffman, and Todd Phillips. Four tunes immediately stand out for me.
As "Your Eyes" began I thought I was about to hear some version of Don't Let Your Deal Go Down--but then.....wow! Laurie put lyrics and music together in a great arrangement, with singing so vital, hard drivin, and naughty. It reminds me of "Two Long Years" by Hugh Ashley that she sang on Craig Smith. And her fiddle break is awesome.
Lewis' marvelously touching, "Hand to Hold" brought tears to my eyes, similar in a way to feelings I have listening to to Tim Obrien's "Time to Learn". After reading about the song's connection to Charles Sawtelle, it became even more meaningful.
Tom Rozum sings an amazing rendition of "99 Year Blues". What superb blue yodeling! Terrific inflections and subtleties there that one rarely hears, and Lewis' fiddling on that fits perfectly, including the signature Benny Martin lick which I think I've never heard her play before.
Scott's "Hardluck in Heaven" is another solid keeper for me - a great combination of humor and real blues put to a straightforward tune that anyone could sing.
Learn more about how they made the album, and get the lyrics for all the songs at [...]. Offering this material like this on the web site is a great service.
Fred Newmann, Madison, WI

Golden West by Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands.......2006-10-24

I heard a couple of songs on KPFK's Folk Scene" yesterday evening and that was it - great musicianship, beautiful and soulfull delivery. Would like to hear more of the old timey ballad like "A Hand to Hold" which highlighted Laurie Lewis's bluesy soulfulness. Also, I loved the resonance and genuine sound of the vocalist on the River Song, as well as the lyrics. Thank you for this auditory delight.

If you like Alison Krauss, you enjoy Laurie!.......2006-09-27

Often compare to Alison Krauss (both are female, play fiddle and sing) Laurie Lewis was around long before Krauss - forming her first band in 1974. (Wow! Has it been that long?). Her current group (totalling 5 members) is called "The Right Hands" and the two original Lewis songs mixed in with 11 more by legends Jimmie Rodgers, John Hartford and Bill Monroe (with Kate Campbell's "Bury Me In Bluegrass") are in quite capable hands. All the tracks have vocals - except for Monroe's "The Golden West". Some additional liner notes about Laurie and the band would have helped those finding her for the first time. Longtimers know her and know what to expect. She delivers here!

Steve Ramm

Average customer rating:

Canadian Bagpipes American Brass
Not a Great CD

Canadian Bagpipes American Brass
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Altissimo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

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The Bagpipes & Drums of Scotland
Bagpipes & Brass
Regimental Marches of the British Army, Vol. 2
Regimental Marches of British Army, Vol. 1
Highland Cathedral

ASIN: B00006RY82
Release Date: 2002-10-29

Tracks:

Olympic Fanfare
All The Blue Bonnets Are Over The Border
The Marines' Hymn
Pipe Major Sam Scott and Donald Maclean Of Lewis
Chariots of Fire
William's Lullaby
Glengarry Pipe Band, Lass O' Fyvie
The Gairloch And Loch Duich
Galician Jig
Killiecrankie And Battle of Waterloo
Amazing Grace
Battle Of The Somme And Vimy
Dead March From "Saul"
Flowers Of The Forest And Mingulay Boat Song
Green Hills of Tyrol
Going Home For the "New World Symphony"
Bugle Calls To The Colors and Retreat
Bugle Calls To The Colors and Retreat
Highland Cradle Song
The Star Spangled Banner

Album Description

Together on the same CD! The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) Pipes & Drums and The Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band of The United States Marine Corps.

Customer Reviews:

Canadian Bagpipes American Brass.......2003-11-11

I recently ordered and have just received the above mentioned album.
THANK YOU........
I ordered it just to have a copy of "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes, but after listening to the album, I am completely blown away. It is perhaps the greatest piece of music I now own. Depending on the song, I can get lifted up, mellowed out, or layed back, again THANK YOU, for having this album. I'm a very satisfied customer.

Not a Great CD.......2003-11-07

This CD was originally longer with more titles. It seems the Altissimo! people after they acquired it from the Canadian Scottish cut out several titles and reduced the overall quality of the CD. Because of this and various other technical factors I would not recommend this CD at this inflated price.

Average customer rating:

Great Bluegrass
Laurie On Radio
Laurie On Radio
WHERE HAS LAURIE LEWIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?
some of the best music Laurie's ever recorded

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
Laurie Lewis
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

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Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Guest House
Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis
True Stories
The Golden West
Together

ASIN: B00000IP88
Release Date: 1999-05-04

Tracks:

Tall Pines
Stepping Stones
Blow, Big Wind
Going To The West
When I Get Home
Black Waters
Bid Eddy
Acony Bell
Wind At Play
Weevily Wheat
Hard Luck And Trouble
The Wood Thrush's Song
Beyond The River Bend

Amazon.com

Fiddler and vocalist Laurie Lewis has gone about assembling an exceptional and wide-ranging catalog while earning relatively few laurels outside of hardcore folk and bluegrass circles. Her Bluegrass Pals, Lewis's resolute return to sounds that first inspired her to take up music as a teen, is one more title deserving of greater acclaim. Working with a backing quartet spearheaded by longtime sideman Tom Rozum and in-demand bassist Todd Phillips, Lewis exhibits uncommon expertise and taste while tackling traditionals and expanding the repertoire with select covers (Gillian Welch's "Acony Bell," Hazel Dickens's "Beyond the River Bend") and distinctive originals. Fans of contemporary bluegrass who aren't already aware of Lewis and her Pals would be well-advised to make their acquaintance. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Great Bluegrass.......2002-02-08

Bluegrass doesn't get any better than this. I only wish I could see Laurie and her friends perform.

Laurie On Radio.......2000-08-17

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass is one of Laurie's best to date. I have had the good fortune to have been acquainted with Laurie Lewis for several years now. She has a lot of good CDs and songs recorded such as Texas Bluebonnets, The Bear Song,Going Up On The Mountain w/Kathy Kallick, Lost John w/KK, The Touch of The Master's Hand w/KK, Little Annie & Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar w/KK.Who Will Watch The Home Place, Diamond Joe and many more. Laurie is also an excellent fiddler. From the CD at hand I have several favorites such as When I Get Home, great moving gospel, Tall Pines,Hard Luck And Trouble and Beyond The River Bend. I play Laurie Lewis regularly on my bluegrass show in Louisville, KY each Sunday night. My show is traditional and I often get requests for Laurie. This is an especially good CD from Laurie Lewis and is in the running for an award from IBMA 2000. As a bluegrass fan you would do well to add this to your collection. Keep them coming Laurie!

Laurie On Radio.......2000-08-17

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass is one of Laurie's best to date. I have had the good fortune to have been acquainted with Laurie Lewis for several years now. She has a lot of good CDs and songs recorded such as Texas Bluebonnets, The Bear Song,Going Up On The Mountain w/Kathy Kallick, Lost John w/KK, The Touch of The Master's Hand w/KK, Little Annie & Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar w/KK.Who Will Watch The Home Place, Diamond Joe and many more. Laurie is also an excellent fiddler. From the CD at hand I have several favorites such as When I Get Home, great moving gospel, Tall Pines,Hard Luck And Trouble and Beyond The River Bend. I play Laurie Lewis regularly on my bluegrass show in Louisville, KY each Sunday night. My show is traditional and I do get requests for Laurie. This is an especially good CD from Laurie Lewis and is in the running for an award from IBMA 2000. As a bluegrass fan you would do well to add this to your collection.

WHERE HAS LAURIE LEWIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE?.......2000-03-17

This in absolute brillant bluegrass CD! I have listened to it hundreds of times. I never get tired of it. The harmony is superb and Laurie's clear and true country voice is a wonder to behold. I'm so glad I found this CD and Laurie Lewis, plan to add more of her to my bluegrass collection.

some of the best music Laurie's ever recorded.......1999-10-30

This is simply one of the best recordings Laurie Lewis has done in her entire career. I should know, I've been following her career for 20 years and have just about every album and CD she's on. The purity of the music, and talent shown in the playing and the singing are just remarkable. A great CD for sitting and _listening_ to, not to use as background, as the songs have meaning and heart. Yeah, I'm a big fan of Laurie's, but anyone who cares about bluegrass, country, folk or just down-home good music will enjoy this recording.

Average customer rating:

WOW!
"The Maple's Lament" makes the album
Just buy it
Draws from Laurie's three "Flying Fish" albums
Singer, songwriter, fiddler extraordinaire!

Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

True Stories
Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
Guest House
Together
Singin' My Troubles Away

ASIN: B0000002PL
Release Date: 1997-07-08

Tracks:

Girlfriend, Guard Your Heart
Green Fields
Don't Get Too Close
Love Chooses You
Texas Bluebonnets
Fine Line
Old Friend
The Maple's Lament
The Bear Song
The Light
The Point Of No Return
Restless Rambling Heart
I'd Be Lost Without You
The Hills Of My Home
Haven Of Mercy
Magic Light

Customer Reviews:

WOW!.......2006-07-18

You know those moments in life that you'll always remember where you were and what you were doing? The day I first heard "Earth & Sky" is one of those days for me. I was spellbound from start to finish. If you love masterful songwriting, get this cd! If you love great song-enhancing arrangements, get this cd. If you love performances from the heart, get this cd. If you love great music, get this cd.

I agree with the others that "Maple's Lament" is just one of the most unique and greatest songs ever. Singing along w/the soulful harmonies of "Haven of Mercy" is an absolutely religious experience, likewise w/"Hills of Home". And what a gift Lewis gives to the world in sharing the insights of her dying grandmother in "I Saw the Light".

Thanks, Laurie!

"The Maple's Lament" makes the album.......2006-05-03

This album offers good, quality bluegrass from start to finish. Laurie Lewis writes and sings from the heart, without excessive embellishment. Her voice is suitable to the music, and her arrangements and instrumentation are mainly free from gimmicks. Like life, her work speaks for itself. On the whole, I would give this four stars, but for the presence of a masterpiece on this album.

What makes the album special is "The Maple's Lament." This song is the saddest piece of existentialism I have ever heard. Accompanied by the mournful wail of a solo violin (being played on two strings), the singer tells the tale of the maple tree, its memories and its days in the sun. I won't ruin the surprise any further for anyone who may not guess the point. The solo violin is beautifully played.

Just buy it.......2005-08-24

I had not heard of Laurie Lewis until I heard her on satellite radio playing "The Maples Lament" from the CD. I'm a great fan of such music and bought the album based on that single song. Wow! This has become the CD I listen to most. All I can say is buy it you won't be disappointed.

Draws from Laurie's three "Flying Fish" albums.......2002-11-07

Vocalist, instrumentalist, and bandleader Laurie Lewis displays her many musical talents and abilities with the release of Earth & Sky: Songs Of Laurie Lewis. This outstanding CD collection draws from Laurie's three "Flying Fish" albums, as well as four previously unreleased tracks. Very strongly recommended listening for fans of bluegrass, folk, and homegrown country music, Earth & Sky includes Girlfriend, Guard Your Heart (2:41); Green Fields (4:48); Don't Get Too Close (3:34); Love Chooses You (4:31); Texas Bluebonnets (4:10); Fine Line (4:48); Old Friend (3:56); The Maple's Lament (4:51); The Bear Song (3:50); The Light (3:55); The Point of No Return (3:55); Restless Rambling Heart (3:37); I'd Be Lost Without You (4:53); The Hills of My Home (2:38); Haven of Mercy (5:05); and Magical Light (3:55).

Singer, songwriter, fiddler extraordinaire!.......2000-09-23

Other Laurie Lewis albums allow you to enjoy her remarkable affinity for Bill Monroe and other bluegrass classics. On this album, her own songs are showcased, and it is an incredible collection. There is some awesomely serious songwriting talent on display here -- every song is full of heart, intelligence, informed by eyes that seem to see a lot more of both human nature and the natural world than most others manage to notice. Lewis's albums are always notable for their excellent song selection, and this album helps us understand why: what she herself writes is unfailingly beautiful, intelligent, and musically top-notch.

And it would be remiss of me not to comment on her incredible vocals. She effectively uses her voice as a complex, rich instrument, and it sounds better and better with every release. Her mastery and control of her voice just seem to be on an ever-upward curve. At some points in her songs, I listen to what her voice does just within the space of a single word, and I'm amazed.

Tracks:

Going up on the Mountain
Just Like Rain
Is the Blue Moon Still Shining?
Don't You See That Train?
Hideaway
Touch of the Master's Hand
Lost John
Maverick
That Dawn the Day You Left Me
Count Your Blessings
Little Annie
Don't Leave Your Little Girl All Alone
Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar

Average customer rating:

Another gem from laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum
I waltzed all the way to the ordering page for this album
A high degree of musical intrigue and charm.
Delightful
Sweet set of modern bluegrass and topical folk

Guest House
Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum
Manufacturer: Hightone Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis
The Golden West
True Stories
The Oak and the Laurel

ASIN: B0001LJCQ6
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Tracks:

Willie Poor Boy
Since You Went Away
Bad Seed
Tramps And Hawkers
Alaska
O My Malissa/How Old Are You?
My Heart's Own Love
Old Dan Tucker
Scars From An Old Love
Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
Quiet Hills
Just A Lie
Wild Rose Of The Mountain/The Devil Chased Me Around The Stump/Glory At The Meeting House

Amazon.com

With a career that dates back to the mid-1970s, Laurie Lewis has always been an avid promoter of the music she loves. Here the justly lauded fiddler, singer, and songwriter teams with mandolinist Tom Rozum for their third album together. The 13 songs on Guest House mix Lewis originals with traditional numbers and well-chosen covers by some important writers from the second half of the 20th century (including Hazel Dickens, Jim Ringer, Si Kahn, and Slim Willet). When Lewis and Rozum harmonize it is truly a thing of beauty; the evocative intervals they employ on "Since You Went Away" are simply breathtaking. Additional players add supple oomph and wallop throughout, most notably Todd Sickafoose on bass and Craig Smith on banjo. --David Greenberger

Customer Reviews:

Another gem from laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum.......2005-05-31

I love these guys.This CD grabs your attention right away "Come gather round me people and a story I will tell" and then proceed to story tell their way through a wonderful, intelligent collection of songs. Two Hazel Dickens songs and a Si Kahn one as well. How could they go wrong. Laurie's great vocals and wonderful fiddle playing. Tom's fantastic voice and inspired mandolin playing. A song choice born of love for this music. This is about as good as it gets.

I waltzed all the way to the ordering page for this album.......2005-04-13

I ordered this album soley based on the powerful song "Scars from an old love" but after listening to all the sound bits from the album. I KNOW I MADE a great choice. The blending of Laurie and Tom's voices are music to my ears and a highway to my heart. Excellent song and wonderful album. Please keep up the duet CD's.
Signed, a new fan.
P.S. I heard this song on www.bluegrasscountry.org

A high degree of musical intrigue and charm........2004-06-09

The title of the third duet album from Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum was inspired by the 13th C. Persian poet, mystic and religious scholar Jalal al-Din Rumi. Like bluegrass music, the "Guest House" of humanity is wrought with various emotions from joy to sorrow, depression to delight. Laurie and Tom
also have an affinity for old-time and folk music in their songs full of love, advice and caution.

Besides her own the originals, the duo cover a couple by Hazel Dickens ("My Heart's Own Love" and "Scars From an Old Love") and others by Claudia Schmidt, Si Kahn, Slim Willet, Liz Meyer, Jim Ringer, and Kate McLeod. The rollicking opener, "Willie Poor Boy," is a sorrowful tale about an angry man with a gun whose rage lands him in prison. In a style reminiscent of The Louvins, "Since You Went Away" is an original country duet with understated arrangement but a catchy hook. "You can't harvest any good when you sow bad seed" is the cautionary missive found in "Bad Seed." An appealing Celtic melody is the foundation of Jim Ringer's "Tramps and Hawkers." There are other pleasant surprises - Rozum's additional lyrics to "Old Dan Tucker"; a resurrection of the 1950s hit "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes"; the splendid four-part a cappella harmonies on Claudia Schmidt's "Quiet Hills"; the nearly 8-minute traditional fiddle tune medley that closes the album.

Laurie wrote "O My Malissa" after reading about courtship of Bill Monroe's parents. It makes a seque into "How Old Are You?," a fiddle tune learned from a recording of Bill, Charlie and Birch Monroe in 1969. This medley and "My Heart's Own Love" feature the frailing banjo of Tom Sauber. Craig Smith's bluegrass banjo embellishes six cuts. The other accompanists include Todd Sickafoose (bass), Scott Huffman (guitar, 4 cuts), Nina Gerber (lead guitar, 2 cuts), Mike Marshall (mandocello on one cut, guitar on one cut). Laurie plays fiddle and guitar; Tom plays mandolin, mandola, and guitar.

From Berkeley, Laurie got hooked on bluegrass in the 1960s and has played with many groups (Phantoms of the Opry, Good Ol' Persons, Free Mexican Air Force, Vern Williams Band, Arkansas Shieks, Blue Rose, and Grant Street) before starting her own band in 1998. A two-time California State Women's Fiddle Champion and two-time IBMA "Female Vocalist of the Year" (1992 and 1994), Laurie has also appeared at the Grand Ole Opry. Tom Rozum has worked with Lewis since 1986. He recently released his first solo album, "Jubilee," and "Guest House" is actually their eighth overall album together. Lewis and Rozum recorded their first duet album in 1995. "The Oak and the Laurel" was nominated for a Grammy in 1996 for Best Traditional Folk Album. "Winter's Grace" was put out in 1999.

The indefatigable Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum have a reputation for exciting musicianship. Their sound keeps hot fiddle, mandolin and duet singing in the forefront. They're a little bit classic country, a tad bit folk, a skosh old-timey, and slightly bluegrass. This album is proof that they can expertly do it all. Their versatility gives this album a high degree of intrigue and charm. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Delightful.......2004-05-02

Laurie & Tom give us another excellent collection of great bluegrass and oldtimey music. This one will stay in may car for a long time, and it is the first playlist on my mp3 player.

After watching the group perform in a little bitty town in CA's central valley, where they performed some of the songs from the new CD, I couldn't resist buying it. What a deal! Not a bad song on it. I particularly am captured by the Alaska song, and the one I think of as "the rose of San Joaquin" (really called title Tramps and Hawkers). The latter showcases Tom and is a powerful, emotional song about a wandering life.

Now I am a bit biased, as I have all of Laurie's CD's, and value them all. But this one is on par with "The Oak and the Larel." Five star. Buy it!

Sweet set of modern bluegrass and topical folk.......2004-04-05

Recommended! Another nice, understated oldtime-ish album by these SF Bay Area/Northern California acoustic music vets... The picking is solid, but resolutely unflashy, steering listeners towards the lyrics and the subtle harmony vocals. This is possibly the best of the Lewis-Rozum collaborations, with their musical inclinations in a perfect synch that mirrors that of their voices -- her low tones, meeting his high. The album opens on a note of controversy, with a cautionary tale about urban rage and gun-related violence ("Poor Boy Willie," which cleverly transposes a Woody Guthrie-style story-song into the modern day... it sounds nice, but one wonders how many of their Birkenstock-clad, ponytailed, urban folkie listeners will actually find their behavior modified by the song...) A second social commentary song scores better: "Just A Lie," which takes aim at those nostalgic for "the good old days," has a more compact structure, and a much sharper bite. In between, there's a lovely range of heartfelt, folkie truegrass, with Lewis and Rozum both singing their little hearts out. Extra points for covering Jim Ringer's timeless outlaw ballad, "Tramps And Hawkers."

Average customer rating:

Bay Area bluegrass at its best
Superb ensemble, excellent arrangements, lots of fun

Together
Laurie Lewis & Kathy Lakkick
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis
True Stories
Guest House
Restless Rambling Heart

ASIN: B0000002M1
Release Date: 1995-01-17

Tracks:

Going Up On the Mountain
Just Like Rain
Is the Blue Moon Still Shining
Don't You See That Train
Hideaway
The Touch of the Master's Hand
Lost John
Maverick
That Dawn the Day You Left Me
Count Your Blessings
Little Annie
Don't Leave Your Little Girl All Alone
Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar

Customer Reviews:

Bay Area bluegrass at its best.......2004-04-05

A nice, simple, traditionalist bluegrass lovefest, with plenty of bouncy melodies and some very fine harmonies by Kallick and Lewis, who were formerly bandmates in the well-beloved SF Bay Area band, the Good Ol' Persons. The best thing here is their voices, which compliment each other perfectly. Lewis typically sings a bit on the thin side, but she provides the ideal underpinning for Kallick's growly purr. The material is all pretty straightforward, with crisp, heartfelt acoustic picking. It gets a little shaky on the slower, sappier material, but there really isn't much of that style heard on here, and on the whole this is an excellent album -- well worth checking out!

Superb ensemble, excellent arrangements, lots of fun.......1999-03-24

I loved this album at first listening. Lewis and Kallick sing marvelously together, and the eclectic choice of songs is wonderfully entertaining. Excellent musicianship, too. Get it!

Average customer rating:

California singer-songwriter with heart and style

Seeing Things
Laurie Lewis
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Oak and the Laurel
Singin' My Troubles Away
Together
Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis

ASIN: B000005YVJ
Release Date: 1998-05-05

Tracks:

Blue Days, Sleepless Nights
The Refugee
Visualize
Kiss Me Before I Die
Let The Bird Go Free
Bane & Balm
I'll Take Back My Heart
Tattoo
Angel On His Shoulder
Manzanar
The Blackest Crow

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If Earth & Sky, the compilation that was Laurie Lewis's Rounder debut, served to showcase her bluegrass roots, Seeing Things finds her breaking new musical ground. To be sure, there's still plenty of fiddle, mandolin, and high lonesome harmonies to be found here, and Lewis's respect for traditional music shines through. But these songs range all over the musical map, from the lilting Norteño swing of "I'll Take Back My Heart" to the sly, bass-driven shuffle of "Kiss Me Before I Die." Tom Russell's haunting "Manzanar" tells the story of Japanese internment during World War II, while Darol Anger grows a "forest of fiddles" (as the liner notes put it) around Lewis's lovely, clear soprano on the traditional "The Blackest Crow." Lewis has always been a hard artist to pigeonhole, gracefully moving between musical genres as different as bluegrass, jazz, gospel, and traditional folk. With Seeing Things, she establishes herself as a powerful, diverse singer/songwriter who deserves a much wider audience. --Mary Park

Customer Reviews:

California singer-songwriter with heart and style.......1998-06-12

I have been a fan of Laurie Lewis for 20 years, when I first heard her playing bass and singing with the Good Ol' Persons. She continues to amaze me with her versatility, her depth and her heart. Some of her songs are about love, life, and other universals, some about specifics in her life,about home and her own experiences. Esp. treats in this album are"Kiss Me Before I Die" written after a serous accident in '94 and 3 cuts with Kathy Kallick singing harmony. Laurie is a superb fiddle player - she also is backed by very talented people, including the incomparable Nina Gerber. The only reason this isn't a "5" for me is that I do have a favorite Lewis song - and that was already recorded years ago.

Average customer rating:

Excellent compilation

Birdsong

Manufacturer: Spruce and Maple Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Country Folk | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000CCTDC
Release Date: 2003-08-01

Customer Reviews:

Excellent compilation.......2005-09-17

This album features songs on a theme, that of birds, naturally enough. All of these songs have been featured in Lewis's previous recordings, and she doesn't disappoint. Her voice is clear and emotive, and her lyrics are expressive and sometimes heartbreakingly sad.

Average customer rating:

This is a solid, solid effort
A keeper!

Singin' My Troubles Away
Laurie Lewis , and Grant Street
Manufacturer: Flying Fish Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Earth & Sky: Songs of Laurie Lewis
Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
Guest House
Together
True Stories

ASIN: B000000MOQ
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

Diamond Joe
Don't Get Too Close
The Rope
Beautiful Bouquet
Overdrive
Heartache
When The Cactus Is In Bloom
I Wish It Had Been A Dream
New Day
Singin' My Troubles Away
Hell Among The Yearlings
Raleigh And Spencer
I Miss The Mississippi And You

Customer Reviews:

This is a solid, solid effort.......2006-08-15

Great, great musicians - and one of my favorite songs of all time "New Day" sometimes you have to reach a little bit higher and let it all hang out - pastoral is what I want in my music - technique only takes music soooo far - but vision and emotion are where you want your music to take you - out of the technique for technique sake and into the next level where music and enlightenment mingle together - whether it's a Tom Waitts slant on things that makes you smile or a Mozart concerto that's what music is - beyond the notes, the players chops or the vocal purity - it resides in the heart. Laurie Lewis certainly has that going on and she can play too!

A keeper!.......2004-05-15

Song samples don't do justice to the quality of the work on this beautifully recorded album. Lewis is a better fiddle player than singer, but although her voice can sometimes sound thin rather than supple, she and her bandmates are in fine form here. Consider "Diamond Joe," whose traditional lyrics sound like the cowboy version of a dispute between labor and management: Lewis sings the protaganist's part with convincing humor, anger, and contempt. The song is brassy because it needs to be.

Further down the road, a standout arrangement of "The Rope" is done "a cappella" style, with tenor Tom Rozum singing the lead vocal, and it's in the choruses and the gorgeous harmonies that Grant Street makes you forget that Martina McBride ever covered the same song. This version is the definitive one.

When the album turns pensive on a Louvin Brothers ballad ("I Wish it Had Been a Dream"), Lewis puts her fiddle down for a crack at rhythm guitar and a duet with Mr. Rozum. Both choices are good ones. One must imagine that the result pleased not only the Louvin Brothers, but also the Everly Brothers.

Add wonderfulness like that to energetic finger- and flatpicking by banjo demigod Tony Furtado, solid bassist Tammy Fassaert, and jazz-influenced guitarist, Scott Nygaard. The end result is a recording that stands up to repeated listening, marred only slightly by the overwrought pastoral imagery of "New Day."

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