Track Listing

1. You Were There for Me
2. Tin Roof Shack
3. Shirt Off My Back
4. Miss Liberty (Lay My Lonesome Down)
5. Cowboys and Indians
6. Ahmed the Beggar Boy
7. Angel Island
8. Ain't That Just Like You
9. Come Back to Old Santa Fe
10. Wild Mustang

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #119901 in Music
• Released on: 2004-09-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.com
These two "grizzled" newgrass masters have seldom sounded better than they do on this duet effort. Rowan, a revered singer-songwriter who has played with everyone from bluegrass king Bill Monroe to the late Jerry Garcia, hits an exquisite lick here with a batch of vivid new originals ranging from sardonic blues ("Tin Roof Shack") to evocative, narrative ballads ("Ahmed the Beggar Boy"). While Rowan lights up the proceedings with his free-roaming, high-lonesome tenor, acoustic guitar wizard Rice wraps the songs in exquisitely nuanced arrangements filled with subtlety, grace, and confidence. --Bob Allen

Customer Reviews

Growing on me
I saw these two perform together live at Bumbershoot in Seattle a number of years ago. Rowan was in fine voice. Rice, and the whole of the band, accompanied with sensitivity and virtuosity uncomon in combination in contemporary bluegrass. Their performance of the old traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" brought me to tears and remains vivid in my mind as the definitive performance of a song which everyone has done.

So, when I picked up this album, I was initially (frankly) a bit disappointed. It seems quiet and subdued next to the live performance. The musicians have very few opportunities to stretch out and improvise. It's all Rowan compositions; no traditional music on the whole disc.

But I gave it a second, third, fourth listen. I paid for it, so why not? And it's really grown on me. The musicianship is quietly stunning. Tony Rice has a way of putting 50 notes into a single bar of music that makes it seem simple and melodic. Then I started to notice the other instuments. Bassist Bryn Bright plays enough music to hold every song together on his own, yet he never gets in anyone's way, to just give one other example.

And this is saying nothing of the songwriting. The more I listen, the more I appreciate the story telling, the uncommon subject matter, the nuances of interpretation.

Yup, this is a keeper.

Rowan sings, while Rice plucks the strings
Two newgrass oldtimers pair up for what is, remarkably, their first full-length collaboration together... Mystic poet-folkie Peter Rowan dominates the album in the sense that the songs are all Rowan originals, and guitarist Tony Rice (who has a wonderful voice, but has been unable to sing for over a decade now due to a medical condition...) limits himself strictly to fancy fingerpicking for the length of the record. They're joined by a compact backup band, anchored by bassist Byrn Bright, a rock-solid player who continues to prove herself one of bluegrass music's brightest new stars. It helps to be a Peter Rowan fan for this one; there isn't a very strong truegrass feel for most of the material, but Rice does roll out some beautiful and very sympathetic accompaniment. I'm always happy to hear his elegant fretwork, and this is a nice showcase for his softer side.

Very Nice
I am very impressed. This includes some marvelous picking and Rowan is at his best vocally. I hope these two collaborate some more because they are marvelous.