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Northern California Bluegrass Society provides this CD review. You can find our most current reviews on our Message Board, where you can comment or query the author directly. Our monthly magazine, Bluegrass By the Bay also publishes them. Return to CD Reviews. |
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| Melonie Cannon |
Melonie Cannon |
| Review by Brendia | |
| Songs: Nothing to Lose, Tennessee Roads, I Feel You Everywhere, What Took You So Long?, Westbound Trains, Sweeter Than Sugarcane, Whiskey Lullabye, Separate Ways, I’ll Be Back, Nobody Hops a Train Anymore. |
Skaggs Family Records PO Box 2478 Hendersonville, TN 37077 ©2004 |
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Melonie Cannon’s debut CD has lots of folks in Nashville excited. Her expressive alto voice has the edge of experience and gives credence to songs of love and life from some of the top country and bluegrass songwriters. Melonie’s father, Buddy Cannon, is one of country music’s top producers and songwriters and the award-winning singer Ronnie Bowman is the album’s producer. The songs include Kim Fox’s “Nothing to Lose” with its tale of losing love and “ Tennessee Road” with it triumphant return to home and hearth. Ronnie Bowman’s “I Feel You Everywhere” has a soft, rocking country beat with Rob Ickes adding an expressive dobro and Tom Roady on percussion. There are also two train songs with great harmony vocals from Dan Tyminski and Ronnie Bowman. “Westbound Trains” has some great instrumental leads with Jeff White on guitar, Stuart Duncan on fiddle and David Talbot on banjo. “I’ll Be Back,” written by Ronnie Bowman and Melanie’s dad and sister is a wonderful parable of a son leaving home to seek greater goals but ends up on the hill of Calvary with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Randy Kohrs plays the dobro on this and several other songs and Wyatt Rice does the guitar honors. Another emotion-packed song is “Whiskey Lullaby” with two lovers finding solace in the bottle while grieving for the loss of their love. But first and foremost is Melonie’s voice. She wraps her voice around the lyrics and makes each song alive and personal. Skaggs Family Records has a new star: a great singer with great heartfelt songs in instrumental settings provided by the top instrumentalists in country and bluegrass music. |
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