Search - Ralph Stanley :: The Very Best of Ralph Stanley

The Very Best of Bluegrass

Woody | Plano, Texas USA | 06/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many of these songs have been recorded by various bluegrass artists and when you hear this album you will hear what they are striving to acheive. The vocal harmonies and the instruments combine for the best staight ahead bluegrass music you are likely to hear anywhere. Ralph Stanley is in fine voice for these numbers. His renditon of Will You Miss Me? is not to be missed. This is a must have album for even a casual fan of bluegrass."

Strongly Sentimental, Classic Mountain Bluegrass

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com | Glen Ellyn, IL USA | 09/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Newly refamed thanks to the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Ralph Stanley is a longstanding classic bluegrass/mountain Gospel star. With 200+ albums behind him, his newfound popularity is nothing new at all.



This "Very Best" CD doesn't do him justice. There is too much great music in his vault to draw from. Listeners will begin with this taste of his magnificent talent, and work their way through his vast discography.



"Man of Constant Sorrow" will be the most familiar song, with Stanley drawing long tones. You'll feel his pain through each note.



Fast-paced banjos and fiddles scream through songs like "Clinch Mountain Backstep." There's no room for words in this lightening picked instrumental. A number of other instrumentals grace the CD, like "Hard Times."



"Rank Stranger" walks slowly as a lament, causing me to wonder had Stanley been walking with me.



Many of the songs come from early 1970s, including "Sorrows."



Fans of everyone from Flatt and Scruggs to Lyle Lovett will discover something fun here. The tale-telling, the presence of voice, and the nod toward the fine traditions of music made in the deep Appalachian Mountains all work together in the singer and banjo player Ralph Stanley.



I fully recommend "The Very Best of Ralph Stanely."



Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com"

Just get this CD and you will be happy

Byra S. Ferkovich | Gainesville,FL | 09/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ralph Stanley is a God of bluegrass and this CD shows us why. The man's voice has such character and presence and power. The music is as good as bluegrass gets and the harmonies are great.



There is a good variety of music on this CD. From barn burners to slow mournful dirges, its all here. You wouldnt think that an album full of songs about death would be uplifting, but it is.



Highly Recommended!"