Search - Dave Mallett :: This Town

A Treasure of Beautiful Folk Music

W. Foley | Canandaigua NY | 05/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard some of David Malett's music when John Denver covered many of his songs. So I descided to try out the artist himself and this was the first CD I bought. There is not a bad song in the bunch. Some times when I put a CD in to play I program the songs I want to hear. But not on this one. I play it from beginning to end. From the upbeat tittle track "This Town" to the Poignant refrain of "Change of The Seasons" this CD weaves through beautiful imagery of life in small town America. The songs on this CD are melodic and infectious. Although the days are over when the singer/songwriter dominated the music scene it gives me pure pleasure to hear that there are artists who continue that tradition with such quality as David Mallett does."

Americana at it's best!!

Robert Vallecillo | Metairie, LA United States | 10/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this guy perform his songs live at a songwriters night in Nashville in early 1993, just before this CD's release. That experience, backed by the repeated airing of the video for "This Town" on CMT, prompted me to buy this CD. What a gem! The insert includes song lyrics and photography by the great Senor McGuire. The collection was produced by Jim Rooney and features several other artists singing back-up: Nanci Griffith ("The Road Goes On Forever"), Kathy Mattea ("Main Street," "Autumn"), Michael Johnson ("Rock & Roll Heart," "Autumn," "Pray For Rain") and Hal Ketchum ("Take Time," "Old Soldiers") who also co-wrote the two songs. Some of the better cuts are "This Town," the reflective "Main Street," "Old Soldiers," which was also recorded by Hal Ketchum and Kathy Mattea on Ketchum's debut album, and "Long Distance Lover," which features tight harmonies between the guitar, mandolin and fiddles. "Autumn" is the song that catches my attention. The lyrics describe Autumn as a personality in that "she's a way with men 'cause she teases them with life and then she leaves them for another, and they shiver with remorse." The classical guitar, cello and violin set the mood of the song as the lyrics intertwine. I praise the CD highly for its smooth production, instrumentation, and cleverly crafted lyrics. This CD is a must have!!"

A Great Album

T. Webster | Alaska | 11/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I stumbled onto this album in the public library, never having heard of David Mallett, and was wowed. What a great album! This is one of those albums where there are not just a couple of good cuts, but every song is good, and a couple are great. "This Town" is a great country rock opener, and "The Road Goes On Forever" (with Nanci Griffith singing harmony) is another. Other highlights of this album are "Main Street," with its lament about the disappearance of small town America, "Somewhere In Time," "Long Distance Lover," and "Old Soldiers." Mallett is one of our best songwriters, but it seems to be a well-kept secret that he's a great singer also. If I had to rate his songwriting, I'd put him up there with Guy Clark, the serious John Prine, and Dave Carter. To my mind that's high praise. He's a very good guitar picker also. If you want an introduction to David Mallett, you can't go wrong with this album. It was produced by the ubiquitous Jim Rooney, himself a fine musician, who has produced great albums for Iris Dement, Tom Paxton, John Prine, Barry and Holly Tashian, and Nanci Griffith, among others. Great musicians, clean sound, good arrangements. I went out and bought this CD and looked for others by David Mallett. "Parallel Lives" (live set with Mallett and a bass player), "Artist in Me" (the closest thing to "This Town" in Mallett's discography), and "Ambition" (listen to "Wild in the Sixties"!) all have great cuts that you will be singing to yourself hours after you heard them."