ERIC LEWIS & NEW KENTUCKY COLONELS
A House Is Not A Home
Riding On That Midnight Train – Carolina In
The Pines – Love Of The Mountains – Old Home Place – Your Treasures – A
House Is Not A Home – I Wonder Where You Are Tonight – Wild Flowers For
Mary – Lonesome Pine – Earl’s Breakdown
The Pines – Love Of The Mountains – Old Home Place – Your Treasures – A
House Is Not A Home – I Wonder Where You Are Tonight – Wild Flowers For
Mary – Lonesome Pine – Earl’s Breakdown
I love good bluegrass music, especially when it leans
toward the traditional side of the music. I believe this attraction for
me is that this is where ‘real’ country music is residing. Eric Lewis
doesn’t have a high tenor bluegrass voice. He has a very sensitive,
tender, meaningful, voice representative of traditional music. Make
that traditional country music as well as traditional bluegrass music.
This excellent band even included a terrific old-time country song,
“Wild Flowers For Mary” which is an amazing love song, so plaintive and
so perfectly done by Eric and his boys. Eric is listed on his CD as a
‘Colonel’ which probably means he is a professional auctioneer in
Missouri. He uses this incredible timing and vocal transition very
effectively in his vocal interpretations of some incredibly good
traditional bluegrass music. The new Kentucky Colonels are made up of
Dennis Reese on the bass, exactly the way this music should be played.
He does not use his instrument as a ‘lead’ instrument, but rather puts a
solid ‘beat’ to the music with emphasis on staying on the beat. Brian
Steele is a lifetime musician and singer playing multiple instruments,
sometimes sings led and sometimes harmony. Jared Parnter, the youngest
member of the group plays both mandolin and Dobro in the group. The
Dobro is the instrument that brings this group so close to traditional
country/bluegrass music. Brian Steele, I believe is the banjo player,
who used to play with Mickey Gilley, and he certainly brings the full
‘banjo’ experience into this excellent listening experience. There is
an incredibly good fiddler on this recording that is not listed in the
credits, and I must say whoever it is, he/she fits the puzzle to
perfection, bringing the music full circle to what it once was, and what
it still is today against amazing competitive disadvantage. The band
doesn’t stint on selection of music, all of it is exceptionally well
done, a traditional perfection that is hard to find in the fast moving
compromising younger groups that seem to get most of the media
attention, so that makes the New Kentucky Colonels very special. Eric
sent me two CD’s so I will be reviewing the next one in the future, but
needless to say, this one will be going off to the Rural Roots Music
Commission who I’m sure will stand by their name ‘rural roots’ which
stands high and proud in this great bluegrass music offering from
Missouri.
toward the traditional side of the music. I believe this attraction for
me is that this is where ‘real’ country music is residing. Eric Lewis
doesn’t have a high tenor bluegrass voice. He has a very sensitive,
tender, meaningful, voice representative of traditional music. Make
that traditional country music as well as traditional bluegrass music.
This excellent band even included a terrific old-time country song,
“Wild Flowers For Mary” which is an amazing love song, so plaintive and
so perfectly done by Eric and his boys. Eric is listed on his CD as a
‘Colonel’ which probably means he is a professional auctioneer in
Missouri. He uses this incredible timing and vocal transition very
effectively in his vocal interpretations of some incredibly good
traditional bluegrass music. The new Kentucky Colonels are made up of
Dennis Reese on the bass, exactly the way this music should be played.
He does not use his instrument as a ‘lead’ instrument, but rather puts a
solid ‘beat’ to the music with emphasis on staying on the beat. Brian
Steele is a lifetime musician and singer playing multiple instruments,
sometimes sings led and sometimes harmony. Jared Parnter, the youngest
member of the group plays both mandolin and Dobro in the group. The
Dobro is the instrument that brings this group so close to traditional
country/bluegrass music. Brian Steele, I believe is the banjo player,
who used to play with Mickey Gilley, and he certainly brings the full
‘banjo’ experience into this excellent listening experience. There is
an incredibly good fiddler on this recording that is not listed in the
credits, and I must say whoever it is, he/she fits the puzzle to
perfection, bringing the music full circle to what it once was, and what
it still is today against amazing competitive disadvantage. The band
doesn’t stint on selection of music, all of it is exceptionally well
done, a traditional perfection that is hard to find in the fast moving
compromising younger groups that seem to get most of the media
attention, so that makes the New Kentucky Colonels very special. Eric
sent me two CD’s so I will be reviewing the next one in the future, but
needless to say, this one will be going off to the Rural Roots Music
Commission who I’m sure will stand by their name ‘rural roots’ which
stands high and proud in this great bluegrass music offering from
Missouri.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International Magazine