Kindling the Fire CD

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"Kindling the Fire"

A musical collaboration by two of America's finest acoustic musicians

by HARVEY REID & JOYCE ANDERSEN

Harvey Reid and Joyce Andersen announce the June 2004 release of their second collaboration CD, Kindling the Fire, on Woodpecker Records. The eclectic mix of original, traditional and covers showcases their razor-sharp harmony singing and instrumental work at their best, and takes their partnership to a new depth and energy. They share the songwriting and lead vocal roles, and fans of hand-crafted traditional-flavored acoustic music will find a lot to get excited about in the 13 songs and 2 instrumentals on the hour-long recording. (Doc Watson and his wife were big fans of this CD, and bought a box of them to send out as Christmas presents.)

Recorded in their trademark sparse, uncluttered style, in sparkling 24-bit digital clarity, they run the Americana gamut from delta blues, with Reid’s slashing slide guitar twining with Andersen’s fiddle, to a blazing fiddle tune, gospel duets, ballads and thoughtful originals. Their arrangements of songs by Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie Johnson, Lemon Jefferson & Norman Blake ring true, and they also introduce some powerful new originals plus captivating re-workings of songs from T-Bone Burnett and Lucinda Williams. They even include a rollicking live-concert version of Ode to Billie Joe and a brilliant cover of Richard Goldman’s tongue-in-cheek Good Years, and Kindling the Fire is filled with a spirit and a drive that shows that this duo is digging in and making a powerful statement.

Fans of Reid’s stringed instrument work will find much to enjoy, as he weighs in on 6-string, 12-string & slide guitars, autoharp, bouzouki & 6-string banjo, and contributes some fine mandolin work. He has penned a major new song, Losers in Love, and a catchy fiddle tune they burn up as a guitar/fiddle duet. Andersen provides a backdrop of flawless fiddle work, and her solos, fills and rhythmic drive mark her as a master fiddler, though it is in her vocals that she really shines. From willowy ballads and her own haunting, gospel-tinged songs, she jumps right to a sassy banjo-fiddle reworking of the rock & roll classic Can’t Let Go.

Reid & Andersen straddle the fence between old and new, and bring their own sensibilities to music rooted in older styles of playing. They capture the best of both worlds, with some inspired jamming and a very engaging live-performance feel interwoven with their considerable musical skills and polished arrangements. They stand on the shoulders of some of the greats in modern and traditional American folk music, and shine in their roles as both preservers of tradition and as innovators helping to reshape the landscape of roots-based music, to keep it fresh and evolving.

READ REVIEWS of Kindling the Fire

Jack of Diamonds (Trad.)(5:39)
Church Bells (J. Andersen)(3:52)
Good Years (R. Goldman)(2:29)
Keep Your Lamp (Trimmed & Burning)(Trad.)(4:20)
Can’t Let Go (R. Weeks)(2:55)
Losers in Love (H. Reid)(3:03)
The Spring Hill Reel (H. Reid)(2:47)
Revelations Roll (K. Long)(3:20)
Billy Gray (N. Blake)(4:42)
Primitives (T. Burnett)(3:59)
Bound for the Promised Land (Trad.)(3:45)
I’ll Fly Away (Trad.)(3:04)
Louis Collins (Trad.)(3:18)
More Precious than Gold (J. Andersen)(4:21)
Ode to Bille Joe (B. Gentry)(6:45)

Order "Kindling the Fire " now

Available in CD only (retail $16.95 + $2 shipping in US and Canada, or by mail, phone, fax, e-mail () and from specialty stores. Inquire about dealer and distributor pricing. [Add $2 per item for mail order shipping in US and Canada. For more information on ordering click here.