Ernie Thacker - Chill of Lonesome
Product Information
Track List: Chill of Lonesome
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Album Details: Chill of Lonesome
- Release Date:
- 01/30/2002
- Label:
- Doobie Shea
- UPC:
- 615141200426
User Reviews: Chill of Lonesome
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chill of lonesome
, July 28, 2006Reviewer: geraldpestel - See all geraldpestel's reviews -
Full of heart, soul, great musicianship
, November 11, 2002Reviewer:
Joe Ross - See all Joe Ross's reviews Ernie Thacker is a young man who first came to bluegrass prominence as the mandolin player, then lead singer/guitarist, with Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys from 1988-94. He now leads his own band, Ernie Thacker and Route 23. "The Chill of Lonesome," Ernie's debut album on the Doobie Shea label, delivers the bluegrass goods with a tight, highly-arranged new traditional sound with a country edge characterized by professional vocals and instrumentals. I expect that Thacker's music, coupled with his youthful energy and great stage presence, will soon earn him an Emerging Artist of the Year award. Guest musicians on the project include Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman, Ronnie Stewart, Adam Steffey, Ben Issaccs, Rob Ickes, and Mountain Heart's Steve Gulley.
Besides featuring one of the finest (and heartfelt) singers in bluegrass today, this album has some first-rate material from contemporary bluegrass writers like Keith Tew, Ronnie Bowman, Jerry Williamson, Junior Sisk, and Mark Mathewson. Each and every song has a message, and Thacker is a masterful storyteller when he sings about faith, home, family, misery, loneliness, sorrow, whiskey and women. Raised with traditional values in Ohio, Thacker probably relates most closely with the songs, "Momma Preached and Daddy Plowed" and opening track, "Little Piece of Land." Danette Tew's gospel song, "Father, Son & Holy Ghost," is a hard-driving offering. "Another Piece of My Heart" is a song that re-creates the classic country and bluegrass sound of the 1950s, and it would've been a good one for Flatt and Scruggs. "Old Kentucky Home," a collaborative song by Ronnie Bowman and Don Rigsby, has the potential to become a bluegrass standard. Mathewson's "Old Barn," is a nostalgic piece that recalls a time when things were made well. "Your Own Brand of Misery" is straight-ahead bluegrass with a common theme we hear in the music when a past love that can't be forgotten becomes tortuous. The album title cut, "The Chill of Lonesome," tells of the feeling coming on when your heart sinks low. Thacker also demonstrates a strong level of comfort interpreting traditional numbers like Bill Monroe's "Highway of Sorrow." If confused about life, the song, "Whiskey and Women," tells us that a drink will drown the heartache and a woman will bring you back around. The album closes with "Old Time Drunkard," and a warning that corn liquor will be your death in the end.
With only eleven cuts (and a total playing time of slightly over 33 minutes), The Chill of Lonesome left me with an anxious feeling of wanting to hear much more soon from Ernie Thacker. For an album full of heart and soul, and great musicianship, I highly recommend this one. -- Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now ...
read all (2) user reviews for Chill of Lonesome
Pro Reviews: Chill of Lonesome
| EXPERT RATING: From AMG Reviews With a voice ready for contemporary country radio, Ernie Thacker keeps one foot in the traditions of bluegrass with one pointed toward concessions to more modern country sounds. As such, The Chill of Lonesome is bound to appeal to those not quite ready for the full-blown high-lonesome sound, but its lack of edginess will probably scare off those who value breakneck virtuosity and dogmatic traditionalism. That's not to say that the album suffers from a lack of musicianship, as bluegrass standouts like Dan Tyminski and Rob Ickes lend their voices and talents in the creation of smoothly shuffling bluegrass-lite variations on the themes of family, faith, and home. To be sure, at this stage Thacker still seems to be finding his stylistic footing as a solo artist, with the 11 cuts here all being covers and his arrangements coming off as rather indistinctive. All in all, though, even if he occasionally sounds like Garth Brooks doing a bluegrass album, Thacker has the voice, talent, and friends to ensure that he probably won't ever release anything downright unpleasant. - Matt Fink, All Music Guide |
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Ernie Thacker Biography
Hailing from Northern Ohio, Ernie Thacker was raised on the essentials of bluegrass music. Steeped in the work of Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, and Jimmy Martin, Thacker took classical violin lessons as a child but quickly fell under the tutelage of an...Full Ernie Thacker Biography
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Pros: Great lyrics & music
Cons: none
This is a great album with beautiful and heart felt lyrics. The music and harmony are second to none. Ernie Thacker is simply a great artist.