Track Listing

1. Dry My Tears and Move On
2. Asheville Turnaround
3. Let an Old Racehorse Run
4. Hillcrest Drive [Instrumental]
5. It's Just the Night
6. My Love Will Not Change
7. Fire and the Flame
8. Zero to Love
9. I'm Afraid I Forgot the Feeling (That I Had for You)
10. Man Can't Live on Bread Alone
11. I Can Hear the Angels Singing
12. Same Kind of Crazy
13. Mill Towns
14. Two-Faced Love

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46634 in Music
• Brand: Dell
• Released on: 2003-08-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
With a classic sound but a radical range of repertoire, Del McCoury and crew--featuring sons Ronnie on mandolin and Rob on banjo--continue to delight bluegrass purists while bringing new fans into the fold. The most celebrated male vocalist in contemporary bluegrass, McCoury the elder here applies his keening tenor to opening and closing cuts by British folk-rocker Richard Thompson (whose "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" was a McCoury highlight on 2001's Del and the Boys), revives the'70s country hit "Let That Racehorse Run," and achieves harmonic convergence with gospel's Fairfield Four on the title track. Ronnie's instrumental romp, "Hillcrest Drive," shows that the band still ranks as one of bluegrass's tightest, while the soaring vocals on "I Can Hear the Angels Singing" soar with the spirit of Appalachia. Even Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy" sounds like a bluegrass standard when Del wraps his vocal cords around it. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Seminal in bluegrass' continuing stylistic interpretation
It's hard to imagine that the Del McCoury Band, eight time winner of Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year,
can continue to get better and better. Could it be that Del's 40+ years of experience make him one of the most skilled in the business? Could it be that his singing epitomizes the heart and soul of bluegrass music? Could it be that the band includes some of the best and engaging instrumentalists today? Could it be that the group navigated head-on into the new millenium with snappy material that is eclectic and tastefully rendered? The answers to all of the above are an undeniable "YES!"

For those not familiar with Del, the North Carolina native began playing bluegrass at age 14. He's picked from The Virginia Playboys to Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, the Golden State Boys to the Shady Valley Boys, and The Dixie Pals in 1967 which renamed to the Del McCoury Band in 1987. This master of the bluegrass vocal style has always sang his heart out with a unique, signature flair. The perfect winning combination came about a decade ago when he united his veteran experience with the youthful energy of his two sons, Ron (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), along with Jason Carter (fiddle) and Mike Bub (bass). All of them are an award-winning musicians who are individually vituosic, yet also tuned into how to present a powerful and explosive highly-arranged ensemble sound. Finally, the Del McCoury Band's repertoire is compelling, and it succeeds with an emotional impact that makes listeners sit up and take notice of the strong images that are invoked.

The band's signature sound is best described as bracing and novel, yet still respecting the sideboards of
traditional presentation. I'd sure like to know more about their song selection process, and how they decide what songs to adapt to their bluegrass presentation. In keeping with a past winning formula, this project, their first on their own new McCoury Music label, opens and closes with two Richard Thompson love-gone-wrong pieces, "Dry My Tears and Move On," and "Two-Faced Love." And whoever would've thought that they'd cover Delbert McClinton and Gary Nicholson's "Same Kind of Crazy As Me," but why not? The song emphasizes the blues in bluegrass. Young country musician and excellent songwriter Shawn Camp co-penned the spirited "My Love Will Not Change" with Billy Burnett. Other numbers come from various other well-known Nashville musicians and songwriters like Austin Cunningham, Verlon Thompson, and Charley Stefl, and ones I know less about like Ron Smith, Linda Gifford, and H.R. Cook.

All of us baby boomer bluegrassers should be able to relate to Smith's waltz-timed "Let An Old Racehorse Run," and Del's modulation to a higher key reinforces the message and shows that he still feels his oats too. A perfect song for Halloween, the slower title track appears a third into the album, and the Fairfield Four's spooky vocal fills contrast to Del's confident assurances. It's nice to see the band's solely instrumental barnburner, "Hillcrest Drive," come from the pen of their own Ronnie McCoury. And with a strong nod to tradition, Don Reno's "I Can Hear the Angels Singing," showcases the band's dynamic quartet. Solidly contemporary bluegrass in styling, but lacking something unique, is "I'm Afraid I Forgot the Feelin'" that comes from Dan Presley and his son, Jeff, guitarist with the Virginia-based bluegrass group, Shenandoah Blue. "Mill Towns" comes from David Francey, a Canadian folk singer and songwriter/storyteller, and it tells of many industrial towns' demise as residents moved elsewhere in search of work. Lyrics for all songs are included, but it's interesting that we never find the band members credited within the album jacket.

The entire record gives us an inspired musical journey from some entertaining bluegrassers with adventurous tastes. You couldn't ask for much better playing and singing. It's fun to hear a familiar old Gospel number as much as it is to hear them deliver, with impeccable musicianship, tunes from contemporary country, bluegrass and folk songsmiths. That may be partly why we're seeing this group in front of different kinds of audiences from performing art centers to mixed bag festivals, jamgrass events to traditional festivals. The Del McCoury Band has been seminal in the continuing stylistic interpretation, definition and growth of present-day bluegrass music. That may be the best reason why this album belongs in your collection. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Awesome, DMB is the name in bluegrass!
Bluegrass fusion; Another favorite album put together by the DMB. Old timey roots with modern feel and appeal. Incredibly talented musicians that can jam with the best but, still keep their hands screaming,"True Bluegrass".

Blue Grass
I traditionally give my boyfriend a Blue Grass cd for Christmas. While I have heard the Del McCoury Band I knew nothing about their CD's. My boyfriend was delighted & we were singing along with "0 to love" in nothing flat & enjoying ourselves.