CD
NOW | 1999
BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED | 1999 | [featured
review]
CD NOW
1999
"Dirk
Powell is well known as the button accordion wiz of the Cajun
neo-traditionalist band Balfa Toujours, but thie Kentucky native's
musical breadth and background encompasses roots music of all
sorts. Hand Me Down is an aptly titled album, for what Powell
performs here is traditional Appalachian music -- the tunes
handed down to him not only from his grandfather James Clarence
hay but also bequeathed to him by generations of pickers in
North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.
The album delivers 18 tracks of pure mountain music. Powell's
mastery of this genre is undeniable, as is the fervor with which
he approaches these engaging tunes.This is one of the finest
traditional music albums of 1999."
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BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED
1999 | [featured review]
"Dirk
has assembled a stellar cast of supporting players who bring
his potential to fruition. There is verve to this recording.
Dirk is featured on several fine banjo solos, as on Near and
Far. This cut especially displays his prowess on the fretless
banjo and the subtleties that make it such a rewarding instrument.
His fiddling takes on a grit and edge on this project
that bestow it with an authoritative advantage. Instead of rehashing
old tunes, they are brought to a new level with these performances.
The next to the last cut, "Cumberland Gap," is a fine
example of this strength. Dirk's fiddle catches fire with
the drive it infuses into that fine old number. The standout
cuts are too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say, there's
not a filler in the lot."
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