Track Listing

1. Wayside Tavern
2. Cannon Ball Blues
3. Lullaby of the Leaves
4. Tuck Away My Lonesome Blues
5. Texas Rangers
6. Can't Get There from Here
7. Tribulations
8. When You and I Were Young, Maggie
9. Girl in the Blue Velvet Band
10. Chicka-Li-Lee-O
11. You Taught Me How to Lose
12. Where Angels Weep

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78570 in Music
• Released on: 1996-04-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
There's a timeless, simple beauty to this collaboration between old friends: just Jerry Douglas on Dobro and guitar and Peter Rowan on vocals, mandolin, and guitar. Every instrumental break and every word resonates in the emotional space suggested by the title, and the whole has more in common with the blues ethos than the bluegrass background from which both players hail. The album has meditative, melancholy sound, typified by the opening track, "Wayside Tavern," a brilliant piece of evocative, lyrical writing. The album was nominated for a 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews

Naked Beauty
There is a spare beauty to this music that can only come from two seasoned masters playing timeless music without backup, orchestration or overdone production. Much of this album was recorded in Fleck's living room with an honesty and unpretentious style that will make you wish all music could be this way. There exists between these two a passion and synergy that would have you believe they've played together forever. Listen to any track (wayside tavern) and see if this music does not speak to you at a deep level. True original American music, played by giants with all the naked beauty intended.

Time Captured on CD
Bluegrass fans will inevitably be drawn to this CD because of the principals involved, but what they and others will find is a spare evocation of country blues and folk stylings reminicent of Jimmy Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman" of the Depression era. Rowan's singing and Douglas's incomparable slide work meld into a singluar, timeless marvel (the sound quality of this disk is astonishing, capturing the deep tones of the instrumentation as if they had been trapped in a time capsule and squeezed out note by note). The material is particularly well suited to Rowan's lilting "blue yodel" (particularly on "You Taught Me How to Lose" and "Lullaby of the Leaves"), while Douglas provides no-nonsense, bluesy accompaniment throughout. The highlight of the CD might be the stark rendition of "Texas Rangers," demonstrating the power of this remarkable duo.

An inspired collection of tunes with an oldtime flavor.
I have long been a fan of Rowan's, enjoying most of his work in a variety of traditional settings and styles. Still, this CD came as a revelation. It's a wonderful recording from two unique musicians. The instrumentation may be a little sparse but it's always effective and only seems to add to the overall feeling, making each note seem that much more memorable. Rowan has an expressive, pleasant voice which works well with this nice collection of tunes with an oldtime flavor. Yonder reminds me of why I enjoy traditional music. The musicianship is inspired and flawless but the recording never loses a sincerity and simplicity that almost seems to come from another era.