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Waterloo Tennessee | 
| Artist: Uncle Earl
Label: Rounder
Category: Music
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £9.98
You Save: £5.01 (33%)
New (24) Used (5) from £7.49
Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 10910
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 610577
UPC: 011661057722
EAN: 0011661057722
ASIN: B000MTPAE0
Release Date: August 18, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | Black Eyed Susie | | • | Last Goodbye | | • | One True | | • | Wish I Had My Time Again | | • | My Little Carpenter | | • | My Epitaph | | • | Buonaparte | | • | Bony On The Isle Of St. Helena | | • | Sisters Of The Road | | • | Streak O' Lean Streak O' Fat | | • | D And P Blues | | • | Birds Were Singing Of You | | • | Wallflower | | • | Drinker Born | | • | Easy In The Early | | • | I May Never |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
After switching to big-name British producer John Paul Jones (of Led Zeppelin fame - he also contributes some instrumental support), this female stringband quartet continues to go wider and deeper in its exploration of acoustic Americana. On their second release, Waterloo, Tennessee, Uncle Earl's balance contributes to their range. Each of the four is a virtuosic musician, all contributing vocals that blend into the buoyant harmonies of "One True," the a cappella shape-note spiritual "Buonaparte," and the field hymn "Easy in the Early ('Til Sundown)." While uptempo fare spotlights the sprightly fiddle of Rayna Gellert, banjoist Abigail Washburn sings a stark meditation on mortality in the revival of Ola Belle Red's "My Epitaph," with guitarist Kristin Andreassen illuminating the vocal purity of A.C. Carter's "The Birds Were Singing of You." As for percussion, Gillian Welch provides guest drums on "The Last Goodbye," and Andreassen's clogging serves as a rhythm track behind Gellert's fiddle on "Sisters of the Road." --Don McLeese
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| Customer Reviews: Read 43 more reviews...
Before Robert and alison June 26, 2008
Yes, before Robert Plant and Alison Kraus made it trendy, J Paul Jones produced this album of acoustic country style music. I say "country" but it's not that straightforward to classify. Anyway, if you want to hear some well recorded acoustic music you can't go wrong.
 Wonderful! May 17, 2008
When you get this album, listen to "Easy in the Early" before you do anything else. If you're not entranced and haunted by these beautiful, earthy, voices and their elegant harmonies, then I fear your musical sense needs some serious examination.
This is stunning, gorgeous work from musicians who obviously have a serious love for their art. It shows the country/folk tradition of America at its absolute best with a musicality and vibrance which is utterly refreshing.
Old timey acoustic music/bluegrass - Refreshing November 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This group have their own take on old timey bluegrass music. It is old but original. The musicianship is of a very high standard. The harmonies are beautiful. The singing is soulful. The production is both lively and sympathetic. If you like folk or bluegrass or old timey or accoustic country, this group is quite a find. I listened to the samples on Amazon and bought it. I have not been disappointed. Well worth buying. Recommended.
Rewards patience and repeated listens - but still enigmatic November 20, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I fear this album will be listened to more for the bluegrass soundscape it emits than for the intelligent songwriting and talented musicians behind it. Indeed, even if one can appreciate the depth of musicianship on display, it is certainly the melodies and crystal-clear delivery that catch the attention and rate this album above average.
It's hard, even having heard the album a good half-dozen times now, to pin down what Uncle Earl is really about. It's tempting to write them off as a Corrs-alike group: a quartet of female singer-instrumentalists tackling and revamping the folk music of their homeland. However, really this is where the similarities end. Even if The Corrs had been born the other side of the Atlantic, and had a mixture of advanced degrees in English, history and Chinese, and occasionally took a bit of speed, they probably wouldn't cover anywhere near as much ground as Uncle Earl in such a short space.
It's bluegrass - Irish inflected, hence the too-easy Corrs connection - but it's also sometimes country, sometimes wailing blues. In fact, the CD almost works as a primer to all kinds of American music, from Celtic up to rock and roll.
One might, potentially, enjoy Uncle Earl's music as great tunes in the bluegrass genre. Or one might - particularly on a second or third listen - come to appreciate them as intelligent, literate and sometimes poignant songs. But this marriage is occasionally uneasy. Chinese lyrics in a country song? And an upbeat reworking of a traditional song about a sombre moment in Napoleonic history? (Although it must be said that this latter is a particularly good example of their work: an infectious tune, beautifully sung, and well produced.)
This is a fine collection of songs with sufficient variety to hold the interest throughout, and performed by four musicians of undoubtable talent. But its hotch potch of musical styles makes it feel like a "best of" collection rather than an album proper. It is often reminiscent of the work of versatile, traditional-American artists such as Neil Young and The Band; but these sixteen songs cover the same territory as the courses of entire careers.
Foot-tapping stuff! November 13, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have to admit I did approach this CD with some trepidation. I love folk music, but I have never been that keen on American folk or Country music. I really enjoyed this CD though. These girls are certainly a talented bunch. A couple of the songs were a bit too "twangy" for me and I would skip listening to them in future, but as there are 16 tracks on this CD I didn't really feel that I was missing out. My favourite songs were the haunting "My Epitaph" and the soothing "I May Never". "The Last Goodbye" is a beautiful song that you will be singing along to. I love fiddle music and there was some great fiddling on "Streak o'lean, Streak o'fat" and "Black-eyed Susie". If you are feeling a bit jaded by the music you are hearing on the radio give this CD a try!
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