Search - Ralph Stanley II :: Carrying on

Overpowering!

Michael R. Nothstine | Wilmore, Ky | 12/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ralph Stanley II is indeed "Carrying On" the high lonesome soulful sound that busted out of the mountains of Southwestern Virginia with the Stanley Brothers well over 50 years ago. The great thing about this Ralph Stanley is he brings his own distinct country sound that brings additional revival and passion to his father's distinctly eerie and haunting art. I can only say that the first time I heard Ralph II's father was in college on a recording of "Old Richmond Prison," and I said "this is the sound I have been looking for my whole life."



On this amazing album Ralph II reaches back as always and records classics that brought the Stanley Brothers and Ralph Stanley to Country Music Fame. I love the truth of pain of the song "Ain't It Hard." I also have this song on an album entitled "Echoes of the Stanley Brothers," which featured former Stanley giants such as Roy Lee Centers, Ricky Skaggs, and Keith Whitley. The song is just really easy to relate to when you experience this sometimes common pain in life, and Ralph II sings it right. This song is not even the best on the album, which is great! I also like "Mountain Dew" which reminds me of the Stanley classic "Katy Daley." The song has a great vocal drive and ringing banjo. The gospel cut "Map of God's Highway" is a wonderful song that represents so well the importance, dependance, and restoration found in the Triune God.



"Carrying On" really highlights the power of Stanley's vocal talent and uniqueness. He really has a command of some of these slower ballads and you can feel every twinge, ache, and soulful moan! This piece traces his roots with his dad Ralph, and his late Uncle Carter who were the Stanley Brothers until Carter's death in 1966. Ralph has kept going, and I hope Ralph II just keeps continuing to push this unique and soul-stirring sound.



Everything on this album is far above anything coming out of country music or most bluegrass today. Ralph Stanley II is quite talented and a true artist. I have seen Ralph Stanley shows without II singing lead, and he adds so much more versatility with the lead singing. Seeing Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys is not just a live show but a real revival or religious experience, it will overpower you!"

Stanley's vocal delivery is smooth with country overtones

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 06/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 35:05 -- "Carrying On" is Ralph Stanley II's song about those mighty big shoes that he has to fill as he builds a name of his own in the footsteps of his famous father and uncle. But why does Ralph Stanley II give us yet another version of "Mountain Dew"? I reckon that he just likes that ol' classic, and it's one that he and his dad enjoy singing together. Other traditional bluegrass songs like his father's "Ain't it Hard" and "Pretty Woman," the Stanley Brothers' "Map of God's Highway," and A.P. Carter's "Single Girl" are very palatable fare. Kentuckian Steve Sparkman is definitely the man who supercharges the more uptempo songs with his adept banjo playing. The real standouts on the slower numbers are Tim Crouch with his twin fiddles, and James Alan Shelton's tasty guitar leads. Other contributors include John Rigsby, Ron Rigsby, David Smith, Lona Heins and Ralph Stanley. Kenny Smith, Josh Williams, Dave Roe jon the mix for Tom T. and Dixie Hall's song, "Welcoming Tomb," and Junior Blankenship picks guitar on "Carrying On." The younger Stanley has a lot of talent. His vocal delivery is smooth with definite country overtones. He seems more comfortable crooning a slower ballad or waltz than belting out a bluegrass barnburner. That's why one of my favorites on this project is Hargis Kelly's "Devil's Little Angel," sung with his father and Lona Heins' harmonies. As a songwriter, his three originals on this project (You Will Never Be Mine, I Am the Way I Am, Arizona Line) demonstrate another of his proficiencies. "I Am the Way I Am" has a common theme of the loneliness a music-making man encounters on the road. "Arizona Line" is an instrumental which gives Ralph a chance to impress us with his lead guitar work. Only in his twenties, Ralph II started playing on stage with his dad when he was only 14. He's recorded four solo albums, as well as another with another Clinch Mountain Boy, John Rigsby. We've been able to witness Ralph's musical growth and maturity on such projects as Listen to My Hammer Ring, Pretty Girls City Lights, Clinch Mountain Echoes, and Stanley Blues. Now in full blossom, I have the feeling that "Carrying On" is the album that is going to further launch his career to a greater height. Ralph Stanley II has a long and propitious career ahead of him. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with the bluegrass genre, or whether he might even pursue fame and fortune in country music. He could do either successfully. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)"