Vince Gill Album: “High Lonesome Sound”

Description :

"Worlds Apart" won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The title track, featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station, won the 1997 Grammy for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. The title track was also nominated for Best Country Song, and the album was nominated for Best Country Album. "Pretty Little Adriana" won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Personnel: Vince Gill (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut-string guitar, mandolin); Alison Krauss (vocals, fiddle); Billy Joe Walker, Jr., Steuart Smith (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dan Tyminski, Jeff White (acoustic guitar); John Hughey (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Ron Block (banjo); Adam Steffey (mandolin); Jeff Geurnsey (fiddle); Pete Wasner (piano, electric piano, Hammond b-3 organ, synthesizer); Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, synthesizer); Leland Sklar, Barry Bales (bass guitar); Carlos Vega (drums); Lisa Bevill, Nicole C. Mullen, Patty Loveless, Shelby Lynne, Bekka Bramlett, Robert Bailey, Billy Thomas, Chris Rodriguez , Kim Fleming, Kim Richey (background vocals). Recording information: Masterfonics, Nashville, Tennessee. Although Vince Gill is renowned as a country performer, the Oklahoma native actually got his start playing in traditional bluegrass bands. This 1996 album finds Gill getting back in touch with his roots without abandoning his easy-going, pop-tinged style. In fact, although much of the record features a pleasant, down-home vibe, only the title track, which appears in two versions, boasts a decent shot of true bluegrass. While the first rendition of the tune shines a spotlight of Gill's adept guitar playing, the second take has Alison Krauss and Union Station lending their instrumental expertise to the lilting number. Other highlights of HIGH LONESOME SOUND include the Lyle Lovett-esque "One Dance with You," the gentle "Pretty Little Adriana," and the lovelorn "Worlds Apart." Though Gill's albums were no longer hitting multi-platinum marks by this point, HIGH LONESOME SOUND reveals that the singer/songwriter was willing to follow his muse, regardless of commercial appeal or Nashville trends. Vince Gill is a stalwart of the country scene, devoted to the rich tradition of the music while at the same time refusing to live in its past. His music twangs, swings, rocks, and is full of rich harmonies and several tips of the hat to bluegrass--especially the latter on HIGH LONESOME SOUND, where he's joined by Alison Krauss and Jerry Douglas, bluegrass aces who straddle the borders between the traditional and the progressive. Together, Gill and friends not only maintain the values of American roots music, but also extend them into the future.

In the 1990s, the Country Music began to go through some transitions. Country music which had for the most part stayed in a vacuum began to go mainstream and embrace other genres of music. As a result, the sound started to change. By the end of the 90s, Country Music had full blown established music superstars in Shania Twain and Faith Hill. One may argue that Twain and Hill have deviated from their Country Music roots - and to some extent I can agree with that argument. I do think that other Country Music artists have found a way to go toward the mainstream while keeping to their Country Music roots. One such artist is Vince Gill, who proves his album "High Lonesome Sound" that it possible to go mainstream and keep to the roots of Country Music. In addition, Gill also proves that the end product can be something that is very enjoyable.

By no means do I consider myself a Country Music expert. The nice thing about "High Lonesome Sound" is that I believe it caters to a fan like myself that may not be deep into Country Music, but can appreciate many of the elements Country Music can bring to the table. While Gill's Country Music could be directed to a more casual fan like myself, I think Gill does an admirable job at addressing the fan who is deeper when it comes to the Country Music genre. Vince Gill also isn't afraid to explore some different directions - and I think this goes a long way for helping this become more appealing to the mainstream fan.

Gill assembles a nice cast of studio musicians to help him on this effort. The most noteable musician is Leland Sklar on Bass. Sklar is best known for being a part of Phil Collins "Serious" band. He was the long hair, long bearded bass player. Sklar does an admirable job on Bass on this collection. There are also some noteable vocalists that help Gill out. Patty Loveless does harmony vocals on "Given More Time" while Shelby Lynne lends vocals on the tune "You and You Alone". Lynne's vocals really connect well with Gill and I wish they would do more work together. Other vocalists, Jeff White and Kim Richey lend some terrific background vocals on multiple tracks.

The opening track is "One Dance With You". When you listen to "One Dance with You", there immediately is a feeling for a country sound. However, there almost is a Doo-Wop-ish type of theme to this song. This Doo Wop-ish theme can be heard in the melody as well as some of the names that are in the lyrics ("Peggy Sue", "Mary Lou", etc). This is a very nice track and appealed to a casual fan like myself.

The title track "High Lonesome Sound" appears on the collection twice. This is a very Country sounding tune that is a very catchy tune. This song is the second track and the last track. The difference is the latter track has Alison Krauss and Union Station helping out with this song. You will hear a stronger fiddle element on the latter track that will give it a much more of a "Dixie Music" feel to it. Alison Krauss plays fiddle on that track and also lends background vocals to both of the tracks. I find the earlier track is the one that will appeal to a more mainstream fan, but the latter track isn't bad either.

The most popular track is the ballad "Pretty Little Adriana". This is definitely a cross-over track. Although it does sound more Pop/Adult Contemporary-ish - the gentle melodies and powerful vocals of this song I still think remain true to the Gill's Country Music Roots.

Another song where Gill does things a bit different is the song "Down to New Orleans". While Gill explored a Dixie sound on the latter version of "High Lonesome Sound", Gill integrates some Jazz and Blues sounding elements into a definite "New Orleans" feel of a song. Once again, Gill doesn't abandon his Country Music Roots and the end result is another great product.

Gill also proves he can be an outstanding storyteller. This is shown on the track "Jenny Dreamed Of Trains". This is an oustanding written song by both Vince Gill and Guy C. Clark. A lot of this song reminds me of Dan Fogelberg. It has a Dan Fogelberg-like soft piano introduction for about one minute. The song then proceeds to be a story in which he tells the story of a girl named Jenny who had a love of trains and then deals with the decline of the railroads in the U.S.. Another song in which Gill tells a nice story is "Given More Time" in which Gill portrays himself as a Working Man trying to balance time with his family. The song "Worlds Apart" is also very well written and deals with a couple going through empty nest syndrome and starting to question the love between them. There is a pause a little after 4 minutes into the song - giving it a very powerful effect.

Another good track that is very enjoyable is "A Little More Love" is another example of a Country Music song that appealed to a mainstream fan like myself.

The liner notes do contain all of the lyrics to all of the tunes. They do a nice job at lining up the studio musician credits to each song. This album pretty much surprised me. I originally wanted it for the song "Pretty Little Adriana", but I ended up discovering so much more. I especially got hooked on the title track. I also discovered what a diverse musician and talent that Vince Gill is. I think this is the perfect album to introduce yourself to Vince Gill and I think Gill fans will not be disappointed with this collection. I'd recommend adding it to your collection.