Ralph Stanley Clinch Mountain Sweethearts Album Review, Songs, Rating

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Ralph Stanley & Friends
Clinch Mountain Sweethearts
Release Date: 2001 09 25
Label: Rebel
Rating:

Clinch Mountain Sweethearts can be thought of as a bluegrass version of John Prine's In Spite of Ourselves. Like Prine, Stanley is joined by a number of female singers, both later and classic, on 16 bluegrass gems. In fact, several names -- Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams, and Melba Montgomery -- show up on both collections. Maria Muldaur cuts loose and gives it her all on the bluesy "The Memory of Your Smile." When Stanley joins her, the sound is oh so lonesome. DeMent joins the fray on "Ridin' That Midnight Train" and "Trust Each Other," and while both cuts work pretty well, the country inflections in her voice get lost in the up-tempo material. One surprising cut features Chely Wright who, believe it or not, offers a good old-time vocal on "Angel Band" that has almost nothing in common with her trendy Nashville work. Montgomery delivers a gutsy take on Hank Williams' "You Win Again," which is a tad more believable coming from a female point of view. The Clinch Mountain Boys sound great as always. Combining bluegrass and old-time, they find the right groove for each piece and never hurry a song. Clinch Mountain Sweethearts works better than the Prine collection, mostly because Stanley is well-matched with most of his co-singers. When their voices don't match, they stay out of each other's way. Once again, Clinch Mountain Sweethearts finds Stanley making good music by adding a few contemporary touches to mountain traditions. Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide

Tracks:

	Title	Composer	Time
1	Ridin' That Midnight Train	Stanley, Stanley	2:38
2	Will You Miss Me	Carter	4:03
3	Little Willie	Public Domain [1]	2:46
4	Oh Death	Public Domain [1]	2:53
5	Loving You Too Well	Stanley	2:32
6	Memory of Your Smile	Stanely	3:20
7	Are You Tired of Me, Darling	Carter	2:18
8	Weeping Willow	Public Domain [1]	3:09
9	I'll Never Grow Tired of You	Stanley	2:34
10	Rank Stranger	Brumley	2:52
11	Trust Each Other	Stanley	2:33
12	Angel Band	Bradbury, Traditional	3:53
13	You Win Again	Williams	3:08
14	I'm Ready to Go	York	2:23
15	Farther Along	Stevens	4:24
16	I'll Remember You Love in My Prayers	Hays	2:32

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