Sprout Wings and Fly

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
John McCutcheon is the '90s' Willie Nelson of folk music. In the '80s, it seemed every few months Nelson would release a new album, each with a different theme, audience, or duet partner. In 1997, McCutcheon released three titles--his first all-acoustic studio album in more than a decade, yet another album for children, and a live album with frequent duo partner Tom Chapin.

The most ambitious of the three is Sprout Wings and Fly, which draws on the Virginia picker's many years of travel to mix and match different types of acoustic music with an reinvigorating inventiveness. McCutcheon blends the sustaining buzz of his banjo and mountain dulcimer with the reverberating drone of African log drums and the Australian wind instrument, the didgeridoo, on two old American tunes, "Oh Death" and "Reuben." On "Jack of Diamonds," McCutcheon contrasts the Smokey Mountain style of his fiddling with the Louisiana swamp style of accordionist Steve Riley. The Carter Family's "Over the Garden Wall" is given an Ozark accent by singer Iris DeMent, while Tim & Mollie O'Brien and Robin & Linda Williams join McCutcheon for five-part harmonies on the old hymn, "Time Has Made a Change in Me." --Geoffrey Himes

Tracks:

Who'll Rock The Cradle
Reuben
Over The Garden Wall
Jack Of Diamonds
Wheels/Tim The Turncoat
Ludlow Massacre
Sweet Sunny South
Yellow Rose Of Texas
Heaven's Wake
Road To Bangor/Morrison's
Oh Death
Hangman's Reel
Time Has Made A Change In Me
Cumberland Gap

Amazon.com

John McCutcheon is the '90s' Willie Nelson of folk music. In the '80s, it seemed every few months Nelson would release a new album, each with a different theme, audience, or duet partner. In 1997, McCutcheon released three titles--his first all-acoustic studio album in more than a decade, yet another album for children, and a live album with frequent duo partner Tom Chapin.

The most ambitious of the three is Sprout Wings and Fly, which draws on the Virginia picker's many years of travel to mix and match different types of acoustic music with an reinvigorating inventiveness. McCutcheon blends the sustaining buzz of his banjo and mountain dulcimer with the reverberating drone of African log drums and the Australian wind instrument, the didgeridoo, on two old American tunes, "Oh Death" and "Reuben." On "Jack of Diamonds," McCutcheon contrasts the Smokey Mountain style of his fiddling with the Louisiana swamp style of accordionist Steve Riley. The Carter Family's "Over the Garden Wall" is given an Ozark accent by singer Iris DeMent, while Tim & Mollie O'Brien and Robin & Linda Williams join McCutcheon for five-part harmonies on the old hymn, "Time Has Made a Change in Me." --Geoffrey Himes

Customer Reviews:

Classic McCutcheon.......2005-09-30

I have enjoyed John McCutcheon's work ever since he first gave a concert in my town. Of his other records, such as Doing Our Job, Family Garden, etc., Sprout Wings and Fly is one of my favorites. The unusual and terrific songs on this album are Reuben, with a digeridoo background; Ludlow Massacre, a haunting tune about a miner's rebellion; Heaven's Wake, a lament by the love of a sailor; and Time Has Made a Change in Me, an all-out favorite of mine. If you like McCutcheon's work, I would say that this is a great one to add to your collection.

OK. But where is this going?.......2001-08-17

I love the claw-hammer style banjo on this CD, but the material was too uneven for me. I guess John McCutcheon could be considered a modern day troubador, like Pete Seeger. But it doesn't always work out that way for me.

Music:

Music

Music