Mama's Hand

Mama's Hand

Mama's Hand

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The parallels between Lynn Morris and Alison Krauss are too obvious to ignore. Like Krauss, Morris first made her mark as an instrumental prodigy (in Morris' case, on banjo) yet eventually made her deepest impression as a singer and bandleader. Like Krauss, Morris has recast bluegrass--previously known for its speed-demon breaks--as a slower, more song-oriented music on a series of superb albums. Morris hasn't achieved Krauss's commercial breakthrough yet, but it's not inconceivable that she could. You don't need any comparisons to Krauss, however, to appreciate the distinction of the title track on Morris' third album, Mama's Hand. This Hazel Dickens song tells the universal story of a teenager somewhat reluctantly leaving a backwater town to seek her fortune elsewhere. Set against a very simple, nicely understated Carter Family-like backing, Morris's warbling soprano is way out front. Stripped clean of all the showy embellishments many singers mistake for drama, her plain, open vocal captures both the high hopes of starting a new life and the heartbreak of saying goodbye to her mother. She never whines but projects the strength a young woman needs to leave behind everyone and everything she knows. Morris's three bandmates--Tom Adams on banjo, David McLaughlin on mandolin and guitar, and Marshall Wilborn on upright bass--are all alumni of the Johnson Mountain Boys, the best traditional bluegrass band of the baby-boomer generation. Because the quartet is fiddler-less as well as drummer-less, Morris's voice is the only sustaining instrument in the mix and thus it stands out dramatically from the percussive arpeggios around her. --Geoffrey Himes

Mama's Hand,Lynn Morris,Rounder Select,Bluegrass,Folk & Traditional,Pop
The It Girl (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Can't Get Enough of "It"
  • This musical has IT!
  • Terrific!
  • This show is "How Do You Say...?" (Ah, yes) AMAZINGLY GREAT!
  • Wonderful show with great music and lyrics
 The It Girl (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Paul McKibbins , BT McNicholl , Jean Louisa Kelly , and Jessica Boevers
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. Roadside (2001 Off-Broadway Cast)
  2. Curtains (2007 Original Broadway Cast)
  3. See What I Wanna See (2005 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
  4. The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Original Broadway Cast)
  5. I Love You Because (2006 Original Off-Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B00006HIAC
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

  1. Black and White World
  2. Why Not?
  3. Stand Straight and Tall
  4. It
  5. Mama's Arms
  6. What to Wear?
  7. It Reprise
  8. A Perfect Plan
  9. Coney Island
  10. Act One Finale
  11. Entr'acte
  12. Woman and Waif
  13. Stay with Me / Left Hand Arrangement
  14. Step into Their Shoes
  15. Out at Sea
  16. How Do You Say....?
  17. Step into Their Shoes Reprise
  18. You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
  19. Act Two Finale

Amazon.com

If you think that musicals are only outsize, outlandish spectacles hatched on Broadway, The It Girl deftly shows that there are other options. This small show was created in 2001 at the York Theater--located in a church's basement, it's as close as you get to a barn in New York City. Loosely based on the 1927 Clara Bow vehicle It, the show gleefully runs through all the 1920s classic situations and characters: chases, flappers, mistaken identities, a boat cruise, a department-store heir, and fake French accents—it's all there. You can almost hear the ghost of P.G. Wodehouse, librettist for the Gershwins' Jazz Age classics, cheering. The It Girl breezes through thanks to its cast's game can-do energy and the strength of Paul McKibbins and B.T. McNicholl's perky tunes, which deploy nice melodic resources and make the most of a six-piece band. There's enough knowing pastiche here to keep the saccharine at bay, but the creative team also shows genuine resource and love for musicals as a genre. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Can't Get Enough of "It".......2006-02-11

I took my daughter to see a production of this at a theatre in Hopewell where I sometime perform. We really enjoyed the show, and my daughter asked me to buy her a copy if the CD. I can't stop listening to this show. Great score...great orchestrations and great performances. I'm going to buy myself a copy too.

5 out of 5 stars This musical has IT!.......2005-04-14

Maybe I'm biased, because I'm friends with the composer... but I was not when I first saw this musical, and I fell in love with it. A truly toe-tapping score, and adorably witty lyrics. It's a charming gem of a show, and I recommend it to any music lover.

The characters are fun, the story is marvelously scandalous (in a family oriented way), and the performances are top-drawer!

5 out of 5 stars Terrific!.......2003-05-18

Like another reviewer, was lucky enough to see this show at the York Theatre in Manhattan. A wonderful musical score and clever lyrics made this show an absolute delight. A must-have CD.

5 out of 5 stars This show is "How Do You Say...?" (Ah, yes) AMAZINGLY GREAT!.......2003-03-17

This show has a STELLAR cast! The cast is relatively small, only consisting of three men and four women. The music is original and REALLY clever (and based in the 1920s...GREAT TIME)! I listen to this cast album MORE than any other (and I have A LOT of cast albums)! Some of the MOST appealing tracks are "A Perfect Plan," "Coney Island" and "Step Into Their Shoes"! This would be A GREAT show for small theatres or small companies of actors! You'll be glad you bought this cast album after you take the time to listen to it all the way through at least once. You'll find a few songs you like and listen to those OVER and OVER. Two weeks later you'll find a few more songs you like and do the same! ... This is an A+ show!

5 out of 5 stars Wonderful show with great music and lyrics.......2002-10-05

My family loved this show. Our eight year old son kept singing the songs and humming the tunes. He even wanted to listen to it at bedtime. Very catchy lyrics with tunes that keep your feet tapping. The show is full of songs that continually creep into your mind during the day. I often found myself humming a tune or two over and over. Highly recommend.
Mama's Hand
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I'm biased
  • Traditional bluegrass at its finest
 Mama's Hand
Lynn Morris
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional FolkTraditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
TraditionalTraditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
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BluegrassBluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. You'll Never Be the Sun
  2. Shape of a Tear
  3. Lovelight
  4. The Lynn Morris Band
  5. The Bramble and the Rose

ASIN: B0000002MK
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

  1. Walking The Blues
  2. Freight Train Blues
  3. It Rains Everywhere I Go
  4. Tell Me How To Mend A Broken Heart
  5. Mama's Hand
  6. Old Rip
  7. No One Has To Tell Me (What Love Is)
  8. Wishful Thinking
  9. Dancing In The Hog Trough
  10. I Can Call Jesus
  11. Ain't Necessarily So
  12. Mason's Lament

Amazon.com

The parallels between Lynn Morris and Alison Krauss are too obvious to ignore. Like Krauss, Morris first made her mark as an instrumental prodigy (in Morris' case, on banjo) yet eventually made her deepest impression as a singer and bandleader. Like Krauss, Morris has recast bluegrass--previously known for its speed-demon breaks--as a slower, more song-oriented music on a series of superb albums. Morris hasn't achieved Krauss's commercial breakthrough yet, but it's not inconceivable that she could. You don't need any comparisons to Krauss, however, to appreciate the distinction of the title track on Morris' third album, Mama's Hand. This Hazel Dickens song tells the universal story of a teenager somewhat reluctantly leaving a backwater town to seek her fortune elsewhere. Set against a very simple, nicely understated Carter Family-like backing, Morris's warbling soprano is way out front. Stripped clean of all the showy embellishments many singers mistake for drama, her plain, open vocal captures both the high hopes of starting a new life and the heartbreak of saying goodbye to her mother. She never whines but projects the strength a young woman needs to leave behind everyone and everything she knows. Morris's three bandmates--Tom Adams on banjo, David McLaughlin on mandolin and guitar, and Marshall Wilborn on upright bass--are all alumni of the Johnson Mountain Boys, the best traditional bluegrass band of the baby-boomer generation. Because the quartet is fiddler-less as well as drummer-less, Morris's voice is the only sustaining instrument in the mix and thus it stands out dramatically from the percussive arpeggios around her. --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I'm biased.......2007-06-03

I'm biased, because I like just about everything Lynn Morris and her band put out. This CD is no exception, and is one of my favorites. There are a lot of different approaches people can bring to bluegrass music, but her style suits my preferences. Her voice is perfect for the music she sings. For example, I don't think I can imagine anyone doing a better cover of Hazel Dickens' "Mama's Hand" then the one that's on this CD. If you like female vocal bluegrass, it's likely you'll be happy with this. Some of the tracks are sung by band member Marshall Wilborn, and these are equally enjoyable.
Favorite tracks (but they're all great):
1. Mama's Hand
2. It Rains Everywhere I Go
3. Walking The Blues
4. No One Has To Tell Me
5. I Can Call Jesus

5 out of 5 stars Traditional bluegrass at its finest.......2003-09-07

Lynn has never been the most prolific recording artist but her albums are always worth hearing - and so it is with this 1995 release. The songs, typically for Lynn and her band, are a mix of covers and originals.

The set opens with Walking the blues, in which the very upbeat music suggests that Lynn is not as down as the title suggests. Another song in the same vein is It rains everywhere I go.

Two of the originals here - Old Rip and Dancing in the hog trough - are banjo instrumentals played by Lynn. On all other tracks where a banjo is required, Tom Adams plays it.

Other tracks here include Ain't necessarily so (sung by Lynn's husband Marshall Wilborn and written by Beth Neilson Chapman), Wishful thinking (a Wynn Stewart oldie) and the title track written by Hazel Dickens, another fine bluegrass singer. Marshall also sings Freight train blues and Tell me how to mend a broken heart, while Lynn and Marshall sing I can call Jesus as a duet. Lynn sings all the other songs here.

This is an excellent album with its roots firmly set in traditional bluegrass.
Mama's Hand: Bluegrass and Mountain Songs About Mother
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Better Then Gold...........
  • tribute to mothers
 Mama's Hand: Bluegrass and Mountain Songs About Mother
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Rounder / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Country | Styles | Music
BluegrassBluegrass | Compilations | Country | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music
Rounder RecordsRounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music
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ASIN: B0000640O0
Release Date: 2002-04-30

Tracks:

  1. Medals for Mothers - Rhonda Vincent
  2. Mama's Flowers - Rambler's Choice
  3. Mama's Gonna Stay - Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard
  4. If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again - The Blue Sky Boys
  5. Rocking Alone in an Old Rocking Chair - Joe Val
  6. Mama's Hand - Hazel Dickens
  7. Shake My Mother's Hand for Me - The Whitstein Brothers
  8. Sweeter than the Flowers - James King
  9. Dear Old Mother - Jim & Jesse
  10. The Sweetest Gift, a Mother's Smile - Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard
  11. I Heard My Mother Weeping - Doc & Rosa Lee Watson
  12. Dreaming of a Little Cabin - Connie & Babe and the Backwoods Boys
  13. Mother, the Queen of My Heart - Bashful Brother Oswald & Charlie Collins
  14. I Have No Mother Now - Suzanne (Edmundson) Thomas & Carol Elizabeth Jones
  15. Mother's Voice is in the Wind - The Johnson Mountain Boys
  16. Dream of a Miner's Child - Phyllis Boyens
  17. Picture on the Wall - The Warrior River Boys
  18. Momma Cried - Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Dan Tyminski
  19. A Mother's Last Words to Her Daughter - Dry Branch Fire Squad

Amazon.com

Mama's Hand pulls off the near impossible feat of gathering together 19 bluegrass and old-time country songs chosen around the theme of Mother without descending into sentimentality. The tracks, which are compiled from Rounder's extensive back catalog, feature performances from contemporary artists like Alison Krauss and Rhonda Vincent, as well as legends like Doc Watson, Hazel Dickens, and Bashful Brother Oswald. While each selection is performed with skill and sincerity, the tracks from the brother duos Jim and Jesse McReynolds, the Whitstein Brothers, and Bill and Earl Bolick, who performed as the Blue Sky Boys, are particularly fine. When these brothers join their voices together in harmony, they elevate songs like "Dear Old Mother" or "Shake My Mother's Hand for Me" to a place that transcends the maudlin nature of the material. Mama would be proud. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Better Then Gold..................2003-09-08

Mama's Hand... has become my favorite album of all times. Over the past year my father died and 4 months later my mama died. Her death was a huge shock....she came down with a bad cold and one week later was gone to heaven..both parents were 69 years old. Mama's Hand helped me in ways no therapist could. Each one of the nineteen songs are sung with so much heart and soul that you can not help but be filled with love for all mama's that are walking here on earth or in heaven. Shake My Mother's Hand for Me was written in 1934 by a black gospel writer Thomas Dorsey and sung by The Whitstein Brothers..asking when you get to heaven and see my mama will you please shake her hand for me and tell her that I love her... .these songs help us remember that our mama's love lives on forever and not even death can separate you from her. I would love this CD even if my mom were alive to enjoy it with me.... This CD is a gift from some very talented people who were given a mission... to remind us that mama's should be treated like very fine pieces of Gold.
Go out and buy this CD... it will awaken a love and respect for Bluegrass that you never knew you had... peace, pattie ann

5 out of 5 stars tribute to mothers.......2002-07-19

What can be better than all your favorite bluesgrass artists singing songs about their mother's?? Only this compilation of Rounder artists. The artists featured are everyone from legends like The Watson Family to more pop bluesgrass artists like Alison Krauss. This record is enjoyable and fun.

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