Acoustic
In '94, a couple of years after their string of hits ended, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band released Acoustic, their first "unplugged" record since their second Circle album. The remastered version of Acoustic was recently released by Capitol Records--a good move. This is one of NGDB's strongest records.
Acoustic was recorded in Denver, which I think enabled the guys in the Dirt Band to make the kind of record they wanted to. Also, as on NGDB's recent Welcome To Woody Creek album, practically all the singing and playing was done by the band members--and all the guys sing. Not only does Bob Carpenter sing lead on the closing number, "Bless The Broken Road", but Acoustic features a rare vocal appearance by Jimmie Fadden, who sings on "Cupid's Got A Gun", which he co-wrote. Finally, the guys wrote practically every song on this record, in contrast to their Nashville music, where they wrote only a few songs on each album. The only song on here that wasn't written by an NGDB member is the rocking song "Hello I Am Your Heart", penned by veteran Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.
Acoustic features the aforementioned song "Bless The Broken Road", a song which was a recent hit for country super-group Rascal Flatts. NGDB's version of the song about a rekindled romance, with Carpenter singing, is the strongest song on the album. "How Long", "Tryin' Times", "Love Will Find A Way", and "One Sure Honest Line" are also well-done romantic songs. "Let It Roll" has the guy at peace after walking out of a troubled relationship. Jimmy Ibbotson, who contributed four of the album's songs, especially shines on the bouncy song "Sarah In The Summer" and the bluesy, reflective song "This Train Keeps Rolling Along". The band reworked their 1980 country-boogie song "Badlands" for Acoustic, and the newer version has the same haunting quality as the original.
Acoustic, despite getting positive reviews, didn't do too well the first time around. Now that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has re-released this classic record--on the heels of another great album, Welcome To Woody Creek--maybe people will start paying attention. This is an album that deserves to be listened to.
Acoustic was recorded in Denver, which I think enabled the guys in the Dirt Band to make the kind of record they wanted to. Also, as on NGDB's recent Welcome To Woody Creek album, practically all the singing and playing was done by the band members--and all the guys sing. Not only does Bob Carpenter sing lead on the closing number, "Bless The Broken Road", but Acoustic features a rare vocal appearance by Jimmie Fadden, who sings on "Cupid's Got A Gun", which he co-wrote. Finally, the guys wrote practically every song on this record, in contrast to their Nashville music, where they wrote only a few songs on each album. The only song on here that wasn't written by an NGDB member is the rocking song "Hello I Am Your Heart", penned by veteran Nashville songwriter Dennis Linde.
Acoustic features the aforementioned song "Bless The Broken Road", a song which was a recent hit for country super-group Rascal Flatts. NGDB's version of the song about a rekindled romance, with Carpenter singing, is the strongest song on the album. "How Long", "Tryin' Times", "Love Will Find A Way", and "One Sure Honest Line" are also well-done romantic songs. "Let It Roll" has the guy at peace after walking out of a troubled relationship. Jimmy Ibbotson, who contributed four of the album's songs, especially shines on the bouncy song "Sarah In The Summer" and the bluesy, reflective song "This Train Keeps Rolling Along". The band reworked their 1980 country-boogie song "Badlands" for Acoustic, and the newer version has the same haunting quality as the original.
Acoustic, despite getting positive reviews, didn't do too well the first time around. Now that the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has re-released this classic record--on the heels of another great album, Welcome To Woody Creek--maybe people will start paying attention. This is an album that deserves to be listened to.
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