This album is an exercise in pure joy. Every song is excellent, and Diamond Rio's totally unique, bluegrass-fused-with-honky-tonk vocal and instrumental sound makes the recordings jump out of the speakers.
Love a Little Stronger is a great upbeat love song, and Finish What We Started is the sonic equivalent of distilled water--crystal clear, no impurities. You Ain't In It, Night Is Fallin' In My Heart (by quirk-master Dennis Linde), and Bubba Hyde are some of Diamond Rio's best subtly humorous songs. Wild Blue Yonder is another beautiful ballad. Down By the Riverside, Gone Out of My Mind (check out Steve Wariner's I Am Ready for another version of this one), and Appalachian Dream / Kentucky Mine are bone-chilling.
Diamond Rio has never topped this album, and nothing to come out of Nashville's mainstream since its release has been better--not even anything by Alan Jackson. This is as good as it gets.
"Love A Little Stronger" is an exceptionally fine album. The music, the lyrics, the splendid harmonies make it hard to single out any one song over another. But, I must confess to a couple of "favorites" ---- "Finish What We Started", "Down By The Riverside", "Wild Blue Yonder," the wonderful instrumental "Appalachian Dream", and "Kentucky Mine," a tribute to coal miners. All in all this is one of Diamond Rio's best efforts. Truly, a flawless diamond.
After a solid start with two albums from 1991 to 1992, they decided to give in to temptation and really make it interesting. 'Love A Little Stronger' is the album that makes the perfect example of what kind of band Diamond Rio is, and covers humour, heartache, and innovation really well.
The title track is rich with golden harmonies that swell the hearts of listeners, with Dan Truman making his piano all grand and romantic at the same time.
'Finish What We Started' is a love song that reminds us what love is: a wonderful journey. Although this album has so much heart put into it, this particular song is the centre of it.
Nice to see for once, Marty Roe has a pen in a song that really is a timeless piece. 'Down By The Riverside' watches a growing love walk away. 'Wild Blue Yonder' has the same feel of love's journey like 'Finish What We Started', but has it's own sound. Tender to the words and every syllable, Roe is such a great singer not only in voice, but expression as well.
The single on this album that finally lets the boys get more loose and real than ever heard is 'Bubba Hyde'. Listen to all the lyrics and let yourself laugh out loud about a social loser who is really the cool cat of the town, well, when the sun goes down. Prout's rat-at-at beginning and skippy beat throughout is followed by Truman's saloon piano, Johnson's drole mandolin, Williams half hip/half goofy bass, and Olander's guitar that sounds like it's rolling down the hill on purpose for humour. They even know how to make their music, not just words, sound funny. One of my all time favourite songs.
'Night Is Fallin' In My Heart', is a mid-tempo traditional tune rich in individual moments by each player.
Although this album is so well recorded and pleasing throughout, the strongest moments come during the last two songs: AGAIN, a band/individual showcase on their best instrumental and one of the best by any band, 'Appalachian Dream'. Even though they all have both different influences ( classical, rock, bluegrass, jazz ), this is a song that gets them to be a country sound throughout-all of them. The talent of these players will amaze you. And this is their best song as a band fused together in a common place. So many of their other songs definitely have them working together for a certain sound, but this one does best. A musician's dream song to listen to.
A great story of miners and their wives praying they come home from the depths is 'Kentucky Mine'. Amazing musicianship, and the earnest of Roe's compassionate voice. With no definite answer or ending to the tale, it keeps it all open to your thoughts. Great lyrics brings you into the lives of both the families, and the workers.
All in all, this is an album I'd praise to my grave and beyond.
I truly like to listen to this Cd. My favorite song is the title cut Love A Little Stronger. It also had a great video.
