HELEN & IAN BRAITHWAITE
Amazing Grace
San Antonio Rose – Daddy’s Hands – Divorce –
Bird of Paradise – Amazing Grace/Will The Circle Be Unbroken – A White
Sports Coat – After The Lights – Words – Y’all Come – Oh Baby Mine –
Teen Angel – Wake up Little Suzie – Goodnight Kiwi
Bird of Paradise – Amazing Grace/Will The Circle Be Unbroken – A White
Sports Coat – After The Lights – Words – Y’all Come – Oh Baby Mine –
Teen Angel – Wake up Little Suzie – Goodnight Kiwi
Helen Braithwaite is one incredibly gifted guitarist. She
plays quite often in the Chet Atkins style, but she also has the ability
to play in the Merle Travis style. Her husband Ian plays bass behind
her. Given, that is quite a feat, but this New Zealand country singer
also has a very pleasant and beautiful voice that she very effectively
uses singing some of America’s finest traditional and classic country
songs. She and her husband are popular enough in New Zealand to have
their own performance center, which contains momentos and
remembrances from their very long career in country music. This
particular CD is much like how the Braithwaite’s perform in a ‘live’
concert, just Helen and Ian singing and playing the songs much like
those great old-time songs used to be played before the introduction of
digilatized electronic phony perfection. What a treat to hear it like
it once sounded, but played with a ‘new’ love and affection for the old
songs. Helen also plays an old-time style organ, and she sometimes lays
an old-time fiddle on top of some of these old songs. What a treat for
someone who really appreciates the older style of country music that
was, and still is, ‘real’ country music. Ian adds some vocals too, and
is especially good on “A White Sport Coat.” This couple is making the
trek to the LeMars, Iowa, Festival this year (Aug 31-Sept 6, 2015) and
the audience will be thrilled to hear this old song again. I especially
liked their instrumental version of “Goodnight Kiwi” a popular country
song in New Zealand. I’m passing this CD along to the Rural Roots Music
Commission to see what their opinion is, and we are definitely looking
forward to seeing and hearing the Braithwaites once again at the LeMars
Festival. They will be on with Anita Bryant, Roni & Donna Stoneman,
Jim Glaser, Wade Landry, Don King, Terry Smith, Red Johnson, and 600
more terrific musicians.
plays quite often in the Chet Atkins style, but she also has the ability
to play in the Merle Travis style. Her husband Ian plays bass behind
her. Given, that is quite a feat, but this New Zealand country singer
also has a very pleasant and beautiful voice that she very effectively
uses singing some of America’s finest traditional and classic country
songs. She and her husband are popular enough in New Zealand to have
their own performance center, which contains momentos and
remembrances from their very long career in country music. This
particular CD is much like how the Braithwaite’s perform in a ‘live’
concert, just Helen and Ian singing and playing the songs much like
those great old-time songs used to be played before the introduction of
digilatized electronic phony perfection. What a treat to hear it like
it once sounded, but played with a ‘new’ love and affection for the old
songs. Helen also plays an old-time style organ, and she sometimes lays
an old-time fiddle on top of some of these old songs. What a treat for
someone who really appreciates the older style of country music that
was, and still is, ‘real’ country music. Ian adds some vocals too, and
is especially good on “A White Sport Coat.” This couple is making the
trek to the LeMars, Iowa, Festival this year (Aug 31-Sept 6, 2015) and
the audience will be thrilled to hear this old song again. I especially
liked their instrumental version of “Goodnight Kiwi” a popular country
song in New Zealand. I’m passing this CD along to the Rural Roots Music
Commission to see what their opinion is, and we are definitely looking
forward to seeing and hearing the Braithwaites once again at the LeMars
Festival. They will be on with Anita Bryant, Roni & Donna Stoneman,
Jim Glaser, Wade Landry, Don King, Terry Smith, Red Johnson, and 600
more terrific musicians.
RECORD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART – www.ntcma.net
for Country Music News International