brilliant performance
author: countryhome.de
Joe has made a brilliant performance - not just where the words to his songs are concerned, but also in terms of production and instrumentation.
Read more...
Original material recorded by great bluegrass artists .... a must-have CD for yo
author: Charlie Hall
Singer, songwriter, and bluegrass musician Joe Ross, who makes his home in Oregon, was first introduced to bluegrass music back in the late sixties while stationed in Japan. Joe is well recognized for hundred's of book and record reviews which have appeared in most of the bluegrass music magazines. His latest CD Bluegrass Alphabet showcases his award-winning songwriting ability with 11 of the 12 cuts from his pen. For this project he has amassed some of the best musicians and singers that are recording today - Randy Kohrs, James King, Scott Vestal, Ben Green, and Mr. Who-Can-Play-Anything-With-Strings-On-It Ron Stewart. If you like original material recorded by great bluegrass artists then this is a must-have CD for your collection. Other tracks include The Place Where I Was Born, The Loneliest Season, One Day Soon, My Desert Home, She Has A Gypsy Heart, Canyon of Sorrows. (reviewed by Charlie Hall for Bluegrass Music Profiles Nov/Dec 2008)
Read more...
A delight that lifts the spirit
author: Terry Roland
Veteran Bluegrass Independent artist Joe Ross has put together a delight of a CD inBluegrass Alphabet. The independent instrumentalist extraordinaire has created a CD that is centered on the song, allowing the variety of acoustic instrumentation to support some beautiful, serene and thought provoking lyrics. Ross\' vocals bare an uncanny resemblance to Roy Rogers, which becomes an advantage when his songs like, My Desert Home, seem to be taken from a lost vault of recordings by The Sons of the Pioneers. In keeping with Bluegrass tradition, even while the lyrics may be sad at times, the music consistently lifts the spirit. The centerpiece of this fine CD is the final song, My Bonnie, drawing on Japanese instrumentation bringing together a traditional Scottish standard. The results leave the listener breathless. His spiritual outlook is clear in all of the songs which reflect a solid Christian perspective. The original song, God Has All the Answers, provides a crystal clear look at Ross\' world view. Whether you are in the mood for some down home pure Bluegrass fun, visual lyrics of Americana, or an innovative path into world music, this CD will satisfy even the thirstiest fan of traditional roots music. - Terry Rolands
Read more...
Interesting and unexpected throughout!
author: John Lupton
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music journalist Joe Ross has covered a lot of musical ground in his career, and here delves into bluegrass literally, as the title track conveys, from A to Z. Thomas Wolfe wrote "You can never go home", but Ross evocatively goes back to "The Place Where I Was Born." He echoes a bit of Hank Williams with "Down and Out, Sad and Lonely" and, in the only non-original song on the disc, revisits "My Bonnie" with a Japanese twist. Interesting and unexpected throughout. (John Lupton)
Read more...