Further

I was surprised that there was no mention of the passing of Derek Bell in the liner notes of the cd. Perhaps a tribute to him will be made in an upcoming cd.

The Chieftains turn out another winner.......2003-09-21

Well, it looks like those old Irish rogues The Chieftains have managed to do it again - take two different but interrelated musical styles, find the best performers in the genre, and pair them up with their group to create a unique and oftentimes brilliant sound. With this take we return to the connection between Irish traditional and American country and bluegrass music, just like their last album, "Down the Old Plank Road" was - in fact, "Further Down the Old Plank Road" is the recording sessions they didn't have room to cram into the first one. And while with some other artists this would seem like an attempt to make money off of work they'd already done, in this case the work is just as high in quality as the first album was, therefore earning itself the merit of being well worth the surprisingly modest price tag.
This album has a wide variety of both Irish and American pieces on it, opening with the old standard "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy", performed with Nickel Creek to stunning results. Next comes the American folk song "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel" with John Hiatt, and if it weren't for Hiatt's superbly raspy old-time voice this would pass as a traditional dance from back over on the Emerald Isle. Following this upbeat tune comes a mournful Southern song with Allison Moorer, the solemn "Hick's Farewell", her voice backed quietly by Paddy and his boys and attended to by the sorrowful wailing of Matt Molloy's flute. "Shady Grove" with Tim O'Brien has lyrics that are very American in nature but a tune that, like much of the material on this album, could have come right out of Ireland itself.
The incomparable John Prine accompanies The Chieftains on "The Girl I Left Behind", employing his once-twangy but now warmer and deeper voice to a song that sounds like a lot of his other work - not a bad thing, mind you. The following set with Jerry Douglas contains the Irish tunes "Rosc Catha Na Mumhain" and "The Wild Irishman", both played superbly, as well as an unexpected treat - "The Arkansas Traveler", undoubtedly one of the best-known old-time folk songs that transforms the track from a set of Celtic tunes to a sort of Irish hoedown, as the liner notes put it. After that comes a superbly sad/sweet Irish song, "Lambs in the Greenfield", played with a past Chieftains collaborator Emmylou Harris, to lovely results. In the space of Band 8 Joe Ely shows up with his roguishly rambling voice, singing two tunes that suit his demeanor well - "The Moonshiner" and "I'm a Rambler".
Country legend Don Williams turns up on this album to sing that beautiful old Irish ballad, "Wild Mountain Thyme" with his virtually-trademark deep country voice that gives the classic air a new dimension. Chet Atkins plays on "Chief O'Neill's Hornpipe", which if memory serves was actually recorded back on The Chieftains' first bluegrass/country endeavor, "Another Country", and could be considered the single cheap shot on the album, even though the collaboration is still very high quality. Band 11 contains Carlene Carter's "Bandit of Love" from 1980, sung by the composer and The Chieftains' own "The Cheatin' Waltz", the former taking up a much longer time slot than the latter. The famous Nitty Gritty Dirt Band gives a spirited performance of "The Squid-Jiggin' Ground", a lively little song rather peculiar in subject but catchy in tune, its words having been set to the Irish Larry O'Gaff's Jig by immigrants to Newfoundland, Canada.
Patty Loveless delivers a wailing rendition of "Three Little Babes", an anguish-filled variant of an old English air sung in the Appalachian Mountains. On track 14 Doc Watson plays a sprightly hornpipe popular on both sides of the Atlantic, "The Fisherman's Hornpipe", followed by another famous tune, "Devil's Dream." Long-time friend of The Chieftains Ricky Skaggs lays down another soulful Southern song, "Talk About Sufferin'", written in the gospel singing tradition of the American southeast. The final tune, "The Lily of the West", has been sung by The Chieftains on a past album, "The Long Black Veil", in collaboration with Mark Knopfler. But sung here to a different tune with somewhat altered lyrics by Rosanne Cash, Johnny "The Man in Black" Cash's daughter, the song takes on an entirely different feel, to my ears less appealing than Knopfler's rendition but still enjoyable.
All in all, "Further Down the Old Plank Road" is anything but an attempt to administer one last whack to a long-dead horse, to paraphrase the liner notes of "Water from the Well" (also a great album). Even though American music is the predominate style on the album, it's still a real treat for Chieftains fans and a great listen for any fan of traditional Irish, bluegrass, or country music, or any of the performers above for that matter. Highly recommended!

The Further Adventures of Little Voice Jane Horrocks

Average customer rating:

Amazing Talent of Our Time
Incredible Mimick
Absolutely Fabulous!!!
Horrocks recently sang on Parkinson (BBC America)-Wow!
SO amazing

The Further Adventures of Little Voice Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Little Voice: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture
Little Voice
Nighty Night - The Complete Series 1
Swing When You're Winning
By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland

ASIN: B00004Z51R
Release Date: 2000-10-16

Tracks:

Hello Dolly
The Best Is Yet To Come
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Just In Time
You're Just In Love (From 'Call Me Madam') - Jane Horrocks And Ewan McGregor Gregor
It Was A Very Good Year
That Old Black Magic - JANE HORROCKS AND ROBBIE WILLIAMS
Crazy
Too Close For Comfort (Mr Wonderful)
Baby Won't You Please Come Home - Dean Martin
Once I Loved (O Amor Em Paz)

Album Details

She is Best Known in America as "Bubble" from the BBC-TV Series "Absolutely Fabulous". However, in her off Time, Horrocks is an Accomplished Vocalist, as Evidenced on this Wonderful Collection of Standards. Includes Duets with Ewan Macgregor, Dean Martin and Robbie Williams.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Talent of Our Time.......2007-01-12

Jane pulls out all the stops and gives us a stellar recording connecting us to the women who pioneered jazz and standards. Ms. Horrocks' impressions of these amazing women is mind boggling. She has thier voices perfected right down to phrasing and calls there personalities from the great beyond. Thank you Jane for a phenominal recording.

dk

Incredible Mimick.......2006-11-04

Bubble from Ab Fab sounds exactly like Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and others. What a talent. She needs her own Las Vegas Show. She would be beyond great!

Absolutely Fabulous!!!.......2001-12-09

I recently acquired this CD through amazon.co.uk after catching Ms. Horrocks on Michael Parkinson's BBC talk show. To hear her sing as Garland, Holiday, Dietrich, Bassey and Monroe was simply fantastic. What knocked me out was her choice of songs, and the contributions of Robbie Williams and Ewan McGregor (let us not forget Dino, through the magic of modern technology).

I have become a fan of this gifted performer through her work on "Absolutely Fabulous," and of course, the film that inspired this CD, "Little Voice." More please!!!

Horrocks recently sang on Parkinson (BBC America)-Wow!.......2001-06-20

I saw Little Voice but never bought the CD. Last Sunday Jane Horrocks was on the Parkinson talk show on BBC America and sang "Too Close for Comfort" as Shirley Bassey. That convinced me that I need to buy this CD. What a talent!

SO amazing.......2000-12-10

Jane Horrocks is an unbelievable acting and vocal talent. If you've seen Little Voice, you know that she is also an exceptional mimick. This C.D. furthur exhibits her mimicking talents. She sings Carol Channing, Ethel Merman, and even Frank Sinatra (his classic It Was a Very Good Year), and every song leaves you astonished and leaning over to press the play button again on your C.D. player.