If you are looking for CD in the sound of
good old-time music or with a touch of good bluegrass, Take Me Back is what you need to listen to. This album is
performed in the "brothers' duet" style after the example of Monroe Brothers, Louvin Brothers, Blue Sky Boys (the Bolick brothers)... with
the guitar and mandolin play.Dave Cantrell and Steve Ison are such old-time duo here on this album. Everything is played with the guitar and contrabass except of Dave's song They Don't Make Country Music Like They Used To which is played also with the Steve's fingerpickin' guitar. This song is a tribute to the players of former country music and also to the style on which the basics of the bluegrass were established.
Dave Cantrell set the repertory from his five originals and seven standards from the Monroe repertory, Stanley's (Kentucky Waltz, House of Gold, How Mountain Girls Can Love) and also others representatives of traditional country music and bluegrass (Peace in the Valley, Aragon Mill ...). I personally didn't recognize only the song You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive, it's a song with a strong tension in its lyrics and in Dave's lead vocal. This story carried out in the sinister and mysterious Eastern Kentucky descriptions where Dave probably comes from. Since I don't have a detailed Kentucky map, I only assume this. But it is sure that Dave's roots are in Sandy Hook / Paintsville area.
Dave Cantrell used to play with The Bluegrass Review; the members were former performers from Bill Monroe's group Bluegrass Boys - Tony Ellis, Tom Ewing and great musicians like Harley Allen and Sid Campbell. He played on many albums because he was studio vocalist like a studio vocalist and guitar player and he was on the tour with the musicians like George Jones and Johnny Paycheck.
Dave put into this album a lot of gospel. His Faraway Land and Young Like You Again demonstrate Dave's his world view, composing skillfulness, a feeling for tradition and good musical and vocal interpretting. Fresh introductory gospel Young like You Again is an illustration of typical brothers' duet because of its harmony, unobtrusive guitar and still endorsing excellent Dave Cantrell's lead vocal and Steve Ison's inspiring mandolin.
For this project Dave found a very good companion, Steve Ison. They back each other musically. Nobody overstep, their solos are smooth as if they were brothers. His song Faraway Land is a jewel on this album. Gospel in kelt style with perfect singing voice and a lot of inspiring guitar solos. His gloomy song with strong spiritual background They Don't Know and a tribute to his parents Year of 35 close his text work on this album.
The entire album is dedicated to Dave's mother-in-law Marie Barnette (1927-2003), who passed away before this project was finished.
Album was stylishly recorded in Rome studio (since 1967) which was established by a bluegrass performer and sound engineer Jack Casey. I think we surely will hear about this extraordinary singer and guitar player with resourceful guitar play. Fred Bartenstein affirms that by his statement 'a new star' in a review Take Me Back for Bluegrass Unlimited.
Ľubomír Toman, Horná Poruba, Slovensko
2003
ROME RECORDING STUDIO
Young Like You Again
House Of Gold
Aragon Mill
They Don't Make Country Music Like They Used To
You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive
Year Of 35
How Mountain Girls Can Love
You Don't Know
Kentucky Waltz
Go Rest High On That Mountain
Faraway Land
Peace In The Valley