Track Listing

1. Memories That Bless and Burn
2. Hide You in the Blood
3. Looking for the Stone
4. Looking for the Stone
5. Were You There?
6. Travel, Travel On
7. I'll Be No Stranger
8. When Heaven Comes Down
9. I Have Found a Way
10. Where We'll Never Die
11. Dip Your Fingers in Some Water
12. Gospel Way
13. God That Never Fails
14. That Home Far Away
15. When I Went Down in the Valley to Pray
16. Touch the Hem of His Garment

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #231311 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

DBFS sings the gospel
This is a whole CD of the Appalachian gospel for which Dry Branch is justifiably famous. You can tell that this music never got near Nashville; it is true and unadulturated.

My personal favorites are "When I Went Down In The Valley To Pray" and "If I Could Just Touch The Hem of His Garment." Both are sung a cappella and reflect the fervent (almost preaching) style of the genre.

"When I Went Down..." is fundamentally the same song that Alison Krauss made famous on the "O Brother" soundtrack, but I actually prefer this version - it's more vibrant. You can *see* the preacher in the little mountain church half-talking half-singing this.

If you're new to Dry Branch, (1) get this CD, (2) get their "Live at Last" CD (which includes some of band leader Ron Thomason's hysterical monologues), and most importantly (3) see the band live.

Phenomenal!
Memories That Bless and Burn is my first exposure to Dry Branch Fire Squad and I must say that this is a phenomenal work. Having Hazel Dickens onboard to help sing Hide You in the Blood was an added bonus. MTBAB runs the entire spectrum of traditional bluegrass gospel from raucous foot-stomping tunes to sparse duets to a capella quartets. If you're a fan of bluegrass gospel music, MTBAB is a must for your collection.

Powerful, right on target
This group reminds me of the singing at my grandparent's home and church in rural Appalachia. Terrific harmonies. Sudden solo outbursts. Driving rhythms. It will make your heart pound one minute and break the next. Unless you are lucky enough to have all your loved ones alive and don't plan on dying yourself, this CD will grab you and hold on for a great ride, but watch for the water hazards, for tears will flow.

Mountain instruments are used authentically, but they are never more important than the melody. Some songs have sections without music, some are entirely voice only, with vocals doing the backup. The theology maybe simple, but it runs deep and fills to the brim and runs over.

The vocals of "Looking for the Stone" run at breakneck speed, almost faster than ear can hear, but the words are clear and understood.

The incredible "I can go to them" deals with the passing on of loved ones in an exquisite way. If you have loved ones you miss, you must have this song. "I can not bring them back, nor would I if I could, but I can go to them" is a key phrase in this smoothly paced hymn. It helped me get through the loss of my son, my youngest child.

This CD is difficult to tag, for the only thing like it that I have heard is the live "performances" with my grandparents and here in gatherings in rural Tennessee. I know of no similar sounding group. They are a rare treat to one's ears and, if you are not careful, your heart. Sometimes it sounds like bluegrass, but it is much more.

It's unusual sound may take some getting used too. Listen to it several times before discarding it. It'll grow on you.

Great CD.