Stolen Moments

by Alison Brown

Overview

Gifted, genre-hopping, and endlessly creative, Alison Brown has been endlessly compared to her male equivalent, Bela Fleck. While she shares the same broad view of bluegrass as well as the bottomless pit of talent, her warm, plucky, and distinctly melodic style of banjo playing is far more reminiscent of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band legend John McEuen. On Stolen Moments, the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist dishes up 11 slices of Celtic, jazz, and newgrass that effortlessly blend the rural with the contemporary. Brown may rely on numerous guests this time around (including Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan), but it's longtime collaborator John Burr's piano that she sounds most comfortable around -- the two converse with such fluidity on some of the jazzier numbers that they may as well have combined both instruments into one. Highlights include the Celtic-tinged "Magnificent Seven" and "Carrowkeel" (the latter features some fine low whistle playing from Seamus Egan), a refreshingly earnest cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" (sung by Indigo Girls' Amy Ray and Emily Saliers), and a smoky rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Angel" (sung by labelmate Beth Nielsen Chapman). However, the most alluring piece appears at the end of Stolen Moments; the self-penned mandolin, conga, and banjo-driven "Musette for a Palindrome" is so unlike anything else on the record that one can only hope that it's merely a teaser for the next. More like this please. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	05/10/2005
Label:	COMPASS RECORDS
UPC:	0766397440026

Tracks

1. The Sound of Summer Running
2. The Magnificent Seven
3. Homeward Bound
4. The Pirate Queen
5. Carrowkeel
6. Angel
7. McIntyre Heads South
8. One Morning in May
9. (I'm Naked and I'm) Going to Glasgow
10. Prayer Wheel
11. Musette for a Palindrome

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alison Brown   Primary Artist,Banjo
Kenny Malone   Drums
Mike Marshall   Mandolin,Guitar
Emily Saliers   Vocals
Garry West   Bass
Sam Bush   Mandolin
Seamus Egan   Low Whistle
John Doyle   Guitar
John Burr   Piano
Stuart Duncan   Fiddle
Max E. Pad   Piano
Chapman   Vocals
Andrea Zonn   Vocal Harmony,Fiddle
Amy Ray   Vocals

Technical Credits

Alison Brown   Audio Production,Producer
Gary West   Audio Production
Bill Keith   Composer
Boo Hewerdine   Composer
Jim Rooney   Composer
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
Erick Jaskowiak   Engineer
Dave Sinko   Mixing
Randy LeRoy   Mastering
Griffin Norman   Design
Melanie Shelley   Make-Up,Hair Stylist
Kristin Barlowe   Photography
Paul Simon   Composer