Search - Don Edwards, Peter Rowan :: High Lonesome Cowboy

Fine western-flavored roots music

Ronald Scheer | Los Angeles | 02/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Rowan and Don Edwards have been around awhile, and their grey hair shows it as they lean against the truck old as they are on their CD cover. Rowan is a bluegrass performer, and Edwards sings western songs. Together with veteran guitarists Tony Rice and Norman Blake, they have put together a wonderful collection of mostly traditional songs that sound like they've sprung straight from the high plains and Rocky Mountains of Colorado Springs, where this album was recorded.I first learned of Rowan and Edwards hearing a song "Buddies in the Saddle" on the bluegrass channel of satellite TV (wonderful invention for music lovers otherwise stuck with urban format commercial radio -- deliver us from what's happened to C&W). Turns out "Buddies in the Saddle" is a Maybelle Carter song, about the friendship of two cowboys, one of whom is lost in a storm. Sung in harmony with an upbeat tempo and such sweet sincerity by two seasoned voices, it got me to buy the whole album, and I was not disappointed. Every song in the collection is arranged handsomely and performed with fine accoustic muscianship -- guitars, mandolin, banjo, and bass.The songs make up a rich variety of styles, tempos, instrumentation, and voices. There is the aching ballad "The Night Guard," about a lovelorn young cowboy on the trail who is killed by a long-horned steer. In another vein is Woody Guthrie's "Reno Blues" about the fate of a Philadelphia lawyer. The traditional "Goodbye Old Paint," sung simply with two voices, guitar and banjo, evokes another era of wagon trains and dusty cattle drives. And there's a long, mellow, gently rocking version of Bill Monroe's "Midnight on the Stormy Deep."I recommend this one to anyone with a heart for western-flavored roots music. You can't go wrong."

For sure

John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 06/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"


irresistable...infectious....quaint....you'll be humming along in no time at all...acoustic guitar padding and the stellar cast of musicians including Tony Rice make this a one of a kind must have....even the kids will love this one."

Don Edwards-Hi lonesome cowboy

BillyBob | Apache Junction,AZ USA | 08/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For the real cowboys or just plain folks who love the old time music, this is great. As someone who grew up cattle ranching and playing bluegrass and old standards myself, I can listen to this over and over again. Great blend of mandolin,banjo, guitar and good strong vocals but not in the bluegrass way. The old time way. I can almost feel myself standing in an old dusty saloon or at a dance hall during the time period most of these songs come from. This is a must for the cowboy purist. I'd say one of the best assemblies of musicians as well; Peter Rowan,Nancy & Norman Blake,Tony Rice, Billy & Bryn Bright bring this project together very well to get the exact feel and emotions of the time. Great job!!"