Ping

I've set up a Ping play list for this blog. So if you want to sample songs from the artists I feature, go to I-Tunes and set up a ping user.You can then find my play list by searching under my name, Dennis Carter. Give it a whirl. I'd like to know what you think of it. Does it work well or is it a pain?

Ready To Go

This time I'm going to talk a bit about an album that came out in 2000, not exactly brand new! Bryan Sutton is one of the premier guitar players of our time. He first came to my attention playing with Ricky Skagg's band Kentucky Thunder. He wasn't with them for too long before deciding to go out on his own as a session guy. He soon became one of the more in-demand session players in Nashville. He cut this album not long after going it alone. He has since recorded 3 other solo albums, but this one remains my favorite. I guess what I like most about this album is its variety. He plays several different guitars, 2 large body dreadnaughts, a small body OM and a strange looking Dupont MD-50 similar to the guitar Django Reinhardt played (as shown below). He of course plays Bluegrass styled numbers, but there are also folk, pop Broadway and Gypsy Jazz pieces as well as his own compositions that aren't easily categorized but are very pleasant to listen to. There's even a U2 number! The listenable nature of this album is what really sets it apart from the albums you often get from top flight instrumentalists. I've often been disappointed by musicians who seem to not want to play for an audience other than themselves. That is not to case with this disc. It's appealing on many levels. You don't have to be a top flight musician to appreciate it. I personally enjoy vocal music in general over pure instrumental music. More than any other album Bryan has done, this one employs some very tasty vocal inclusions. I love every one of the vocals on this album and will list them first among my favorite tracks. They are: "Blue Night" with Pat Enright, "When Love Comes to Town" with Jeff White, "The Water Is Wide" with the Isaacs sisters and "Smoky Mountain Memories" with Dolly Parton. Special mention should be made of "The Water Is Wide". Of all the traditional versions of this song I've heard, I like this one the best. Eva Cassidy has a cover that runs a close second. There really is not a bad cut on this record, but other favorites are: "Decision At Glady Fork", "Minor Swing" and "Lady Be Good". I'm happy to say the album is still available. I don't know how well known or popular it is, so it probably won't be available forever. Go out and get yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed!

Guys On My I-Pod

 
I've been accused on more than one occasion of  only listening to girl singers, even going so far as to say that I only listen to girl singers with low voices! I've been recently reviewing the contents of my I-Pod by playing all the songs in alphabetical order. It's a slow process and has been going on for awhile now. I mainly listen going to and from work and I sometimes lose my place trying to find where I left off with the music after coming back to it from listening to pod casts. It's a work in progress and I'm using it to weed out songs I don't care that much about to make room for songs I like better. I'm getting low on memory (the I-Pod!), so it's becoming a game of sorting out the cream of the crop and still leaving space for the odd pod cast or 2. While engaged in this exercise it occurred to  me that it might be fun to catalog the guy musicians on my I-Pod to shed light on how much truth there is to the assertion that I only like girl singers, so here's the full list of the guys currently on my I-Pod. I'll draw some conclusions at the end of the list.

Guys on my I-Pod:

Al Petteway
Alan Jackson
Andrew Bocelli
The Beatles
Benton Paul
Blood Sweat and Tears
The Bluegrass Album Band
Bryan Sutton
Clint Black
Cream
Dan Tyminski
David Archuleta
David Cook
The Del McCoury Band
Dwight Yoakam
Eagles
Garth Brooks
George Strait
Gordon Lightfoot
Gov't Mule
Iron Butterfly
James Taylor
Jim Croce
John Denver
John Gorka
Johnny Cash
Keith Urban
Kris Allen
Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers
Louis Armstrong
Michael Johns
Michael Johnson
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Paul Simon
Peter Breinholt
The Police
Punch Brothers
Randy Travis
Richard Shindell
Ricky Skaggs
Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band
Sam Payne
Simon and Garfunkel
Steve Earle
Tim O'Brien
Tony Rice
Toto
Warren Haynes

There you go! Not a long list, especially when you see all the female musicians I waded through to pluck out these guys. Some things jump out as I review the list. There are a good number of folks that fall into Bluegrass, Country and Folk genres, with a smattering of other genres. There are also representatives of local artists and American Idols. Not too many obscure guys. That kind of surprised me. I guess I do a much better job ferreting out the odd girl singer. So is it fair to accuse me of favoring girl musicians, esp. singers? You bet! I'll own it! I can't deny it! I was driving home the other day and Kelly Willis came on singing "I Don't Want to Love You (But I Do)" and it sounded soooo good to me! Can't explain it, but sometimes a girl singer will really hit a vibe with me. Right in that same area on my I-Pod songs by Patty Loveless, Allison Moorer, Carole King, Nikki Yanofsky and Mary Chapin Carpenter came along. I was in heaven! So there you are. The accusations are almost true, but I haven't ruled the guys totally out. The picture is Tony Rice, perhaps my favorite of all guy musicians. He's the main influence for Alison Krauss. If you listen to them back to back you'll see why. Too bad he lost his singing voice, but he's still about the best flat picker in the world! It's apparent I need to keep a better eye out for less well known guy musicians. Suggestions are welcome! Have a great week!