| CD Review |
|
|
 |
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. |
|
| Jones & Leva | Vertie's Dream |
| Review by Larry Carlin | June 2000 |
| Songs: Something Shall Remain Vertie's Dream Sent To Me Dip Your Fingers In Some Water Scorned And Mocked You're Not Mine When We Have Love River Of Fire Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah Washington's March/Jim And Arnold The Man In Me I Ain't Big Enough Minister's Farewell/Last Of Callahan |
Copper Creek Records Personnel: |
|
The "country" music emanating from Nashville these days, with its pop/rock edge, is so far from the roots of the genre than many of its longtime fans have tuned it out. Fortunately there are alternatives out there whose roots run deep, but you will have to search for them, as commercial country radio is more concerned with the bottom line than the quality of the music. And fortunately for the rest of us there are players like the duo from Virginia, Jones and Leva, who are carrying on the tradition with their nouveau/old-time country music, and they have a marvelous new CD titled Vertie's Dream. Vertie's Dream is the third album from husband/wife duo Carol Elizabeth Jones and James Leva, and their first one on Copper Creek Records. Their first two recordings -- Light Enough To Find My Way and Journey Home -- were on Rounder Records, and the twosome just keeps getting better and better. On these earlier CDs they wrote all of the songs themselves, and on this CD they wrote all but four of the songs. And they have noted mandolin magician John Reischman playing with them on this CD. Add Jones' beautiful voice and steady rhythm guitar, Leva's sizzling old-time fiddling, and their heavenly harmonies to the mix, and you've got one "dream" of a recording. As with their previous projects, Jones and Leva mine familiar themes on Vertie's Dream and, as before, they have struck gold. And for the first time on their CDs they cover some traditional material. There are songs of lost and found love: Sent To Me, You're Not Mine, When We Had Love, River Of Fire; of hope: The Man In Me; gospel tunes: Scorned And Mocked, Dip Your Fingers In Some Water, and Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah; plus smokin' instrumentals such as Washington's March/Jim And Arnold and Minister's Farewell/Last of Callahan. The title cut Vertie's Dream comes from a dream by a little girl that is dedicated to Jones' aunt. And I Ain't Big Enough is a whimsical tale about a guy who has had about all he can take. All of the original songs are well-crafted gems that contain a lot of heart and soul, unlike most of the so-called "new country" music heard on the radio today. It is plain to see that Jones and Leva were just getting warmed up on their Journey Home. As Suzanne Thomas (formerly of the Dry Branch Fire Squad) says in the liner notes, "To my ears, Jones and Leva are the very best vocal duet on the scene today." Your ears will certainly agree with Suzanne's. If you are one of the many who have tuned out of formulated commercial country radio, it is time for you to get tuned in to Vertie's Dream. They may have finished off this CD with the song Last Of Callahan, but hopefully we have not heard the last of Jones and Leva. |
|
Additions or comments: fiddler@best.com |
|