John Carter Cash featuring Norman Blake & Others – Pilgrimage To a Rising Fawn
This pleasant country-bluegrass album features several name performers including John Carter Cash, Norman Blake (guitar), Jamey Johnson, Jerry Douglas, Jamie Hartford, Carlene Carter & Joseph Cash. It’s fairly rousing in the performance. The vocals are pristine & though the music is from an age-old genre the showcase has clarity, precision & lots of sawdust.
Rising Fawn, Georgia is just over the Tennessee border & this is a homegrown effort recorded at Norman Blake’s home with little in the way of effects & overproduction. There are children involved. Jaime Hartford is the offspring of the late John Hartford (author of “Gentle On My Mind”). There are many Cash offspring who gathered as well including Carlene Carter.
The recording is “hot” & on my system, it sounded like all these fine musicians were in my studio. It was quite an experience. Their “presence” was intense. Many tunes are arranged with a delightful touch – the bass is deep & all the acoustic instruments are crystal clear. This gives the vocalists a strong contrast since they have so much individuality throughout each performance.
There are ten persuasive melodies on Pilgrimage To a Rising Fawn (Drops Aug 2/Avondale Records/34:00) that leave in the dialogues between the players to make it even more personal & up close. Produced by John Carter Cash, some tunes will sound familiar since they’ve been traditionally passed down through the ages. The young musicians here are purifying the oldies with their youthful touches. They show listeners how retro can be young again depending on what melodic clothes you put on them.
None of the songs sound vintage on these takes. They sound fresh & with the proficiency of each musician, they reopen like a flower in the morning sun. Some plants look dead to some people, yet something happens – the dirt shifted, the sun hits the sprouts just right, the water is sufficient & the “dead plant” suddenly blooms again. Scary stuff but in a way, something beautiful. It’s helped along the way by musical gardeners like Norman Blake & John Carter Cash.
These songs are revitalized – bluegrass was once like rock n’ roll. It wasn’t expected to last long. It was a phase. But it persisted & endured. This is where that old genre is today, reaffirming itself through the fingers & voices of the children of legendary performers. Something for them to be proud of.
Highlights – “Mystery of Life,” “Hi-Eenktum Daddy-O,” “Shady Grove,” “Give My Love To Rose,” an incredible “Life’s Railway To Heaven,” with Carlene Carter & John Carter Cash, a beautiful Jamey Johnson vocal on the classic Hoagy Carmichael song “Georgia On My Mind.”
Color image of Mr. Blake courtesy of his Bandcamp site. John Carter Cash image courtesy of his website. CD @ Elusive Disc & Amazon + https://www.johncartercash.com/
Absolute awesomeness.
💜🙏✌️
😎🎼🌻🦋