From Way Out West
© Copyright-Walt Richards
(634479407079)
Record Label: Trails & Rails
SPECIAL: 30% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!
No items available in your wishlist
The #3 Western Single Release of 2006, as voted by the Heartland Public Radio Panel, came from this CD! Listen to it - "Night Train Down the Yellowstone" - on Track #2.
The entire CD starts out with the beautiful "Nighttime Out On The Range", which Walt and Paula sang as their winning entry in the 2005 Western Music Association Harmony Duo competition.
And "Arizona Wind" - track # 9 - has been chosen as the first tune on the Arizona Cowboy Symposium compilation CD for 2006.
We think that Mike Fleming's, "The Wire And The Rail" is just about the best musical summation of the era of the cowboy - all done in just three well-crafted verses. Check it out on Track #13.
And can you identify all the western tunes Marvin O'Dell refers to in the final cut, "Keepin' It Cowboy"
Yes, the western music tradition is alive and well and Trails & Rails feels fortunate to have the opportunity to help carry it on.
Walt and Paula have the good fortune to be joined on this CD by Bruce Huntington, who adds his song-writing talent as well as harmony and very tasteful bass playing. (We think that his waltz, "If You Would Dance With Me" - track #8 - could become a western classic. We always find that the audiences sing along!)
*Alert! Just in! (June 2008) Speaking of Bruce, the Top Ten Ballot for the Western Music Association is out and Bruce has been nominated for Songwriter of the Year. (See the notes for the "Ghosts of Tombstone" CD for more about Trails & Rails' eleven nominations!)
You'll also hear the excellent instrumentalist, Ken Wilcox, on guitar and that well-known 'trail instrument' - the autoharp - as well as on lead and harmony vocals. Check out his guitar work on "Last Steam Engine Train!"
Then there's Walt's banjo - what can we say . . . !
Read more...
Please
log in to review the album.
Ghosts of Tombstone Mountains of the Heart On Track
author: CarolCooper
I got three CDs after listening to samples. This is really my favorite kind of music. I enjoy the traditional Western stories. I think the vocals actually evoke images of stories and songs around campfires during round-up. Thank you.
Read more...
Excellent instrumentation,very good songs but male lead vocals a bit light weigh
author: John Poole
As I live in the UK and my practical experience of "cowboys" is a week on a Montana dude ranch, you will appreciate that I am not best qualified to judge authenticity. Having said that, my overall impression of this album is that it is excellent instrumentally - especially the autoharp (although I would guess that stringed instruments of any kind were too fragile to be carried on cattle drives ),the songs were very good ,with Seven Spanish Angels being better than the Willie Nelson/Ray Charles hit version.I particularly liked "Harvey Girl" despite having never previously heard of the Harvey restaurant chain,and "The Wire and The Rail" where I was intrigued to hear references to "drovers" rather than "cowboys" as,probably displaying my ignorance,had thought a "drover" was an Australian cowboy. The one weakness was that I thought the album was slightly let down by what I would term "college boy" vocals which lacked the grittiness of ,say, Ian Tyson or Ken Overcast ....although I have found the same to be true in respect of many Bluegrass albums....maybe the Californian accent is generally not suited to these forms of country music.I do however very much like Paula's vocals and,in conclusion,I think it has found a permanent place in my collection and ,helped by seeing them live (which I haven't) should sell very well at the groups appearances.
Read more...