Promises
John Wright
Independent
1996
12 tracks
Promises is a solid compilation of old bluegrass songs and bluegrass-style songs written by John Wright. These are the songs of love and family and hard times so familiar to those of us who grew up on this music. I find that many people who may have been exposed only to mainstream pop music and pop arrangements of country and folk music don't much like bluegrass or hillbilly music. I think this is mostly because they haven't heard much of this music and don't understand the traditions behind the sound. John Wright's Promises might be a good release to introduce these people to this particular variant of old time music.
What will make this release more palatable to urban listeners who may not have heard much of this music is Wright's approach. The instrumentals are well-orchestrated and roll forward like a well-oiled machine. The vocal harmonies sound just right, providing confident support for Wright's lead vocals. What they don't do, though, is slip into those off-harmonies [some might say off-key, but I'd disagree with that] so often heard in the older bluegrass and especially Appalachian folk music. And Wright's vocal approach has more the pop-folk feel of a Pete Seeger or Oscar Brand than what we might have expected from The Carter Family or Wright's idol Ralph Stanley.
A real strength of this release is the instrumental backing. John Wright (banjo) is joined by Junior Blankenship (guitar) and James Price (fiddle). It's clear from the outset that all three players know their way around their respective instruments. There's an organic feel to the songs, as though these three men have been playing together since childhood. This brings a certain unity to every song and to the release as a whole.
It doesn't hurt that both Blankenship and Price have both been members of Ralph Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys in their time. It's not hard to imagine that much of the bluegrass feel of this release might have been lost in the hands of other players.
Junior Blankenship's harmony vocals especially bring bluegrass feel to the songs but shouldn't disturb the experience of uninitiated listeners. Without these harmonies, Promises would have far less character and interest.
The songs are, for the most part, the usual mix of family stories and expressions of religious faith. As such, they have the ability to reach out and touch a listener's heart and soul.
Lately, on some of my e-mail lists, performers and folk DJ's have been looking for songs they can play about war. "Soldier's Boy" is just such a song. Based on a scene from a Russian movie, "Soldier's Boy" is neither pro nor anti war but holds within its lyric some eternal truths about the nature of war and its effects on family.
Over all, as opposed to back-porch music, I find this a very academic [including allusions not just to the Russian movie but to Shakespeare as well] collection of folk music, honed and polished almost too much. Yet the music still has that old time folk feel to it and, in this sanitized version, could well help introduce a new audience to traditional folk music.
For a bit of information on John Wright or to buy Promises, you can check out his listing at CD Baby.|
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