For those of you familiar with Rhonda’s background of bluegrass fireworks, this album will be an eye (ear?) opening revelation, straight up classic country duets with Daryle Singletary.
Now, I might not be the best reviewer for “American Grandstand” as I’m much more of a bluegrass fan than a country fan, and all I know of Daryle is what I can find on the internet. On the other hand I’d like to think I can bring a fresh outlook to this review. (BTW, if you do some searching on the internet you’ll find this album is getting rave reviews from people who know a whole lot more about country than me!)
The first thing I found out about the album is that it’s a mix of classics and new tunes, and since they all sound classic to me I’m going to let you give it a listen and decide which is which.
The second thing I found out about the album is that, at Daryle’s insistence, he and Rhonda did the singing together in the studio. Frankly, that alone makes me think the man is a genius; sharing the mic brings the duets an intimacy that will never be achieved by dubbing, and adds a fantastic live feeling to the recording.
“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”
I can’t begin to pick highlights out of the album, just personal favorites: their voices ring like chimes on their cover of “Golden Ring” and that song by itself could go a long way in making me a classic country fan. Daryle’s voice is classic country, smooth as good bourbon, as you’ll find on “Louisiana Woman, Mississipi Man,” and that’ll get your toes tapping, too. It turns out that behind the bluegrass, Rhonda also has a classic country style to her singing, so the combination of her voice with Daryle’s echoes many of the great old country duet partnerships;
just queue up “After The Fire Is Gone,” sit back and enjoy the best classic country to come around in a while!
Upper Management Music
