| Customer Reviews: Average Rating: 5.0 out of 5 |
| Best Helm in years: Rating: 5 out of 5 |
Best Helm in years this is rock with goose bumps!Its a long time since I've heard such brilliant vocals, instruments and lyrics plus backing vocals.
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| Dirt Farmer: Rating: 4 out of 5 |
| I bought 'Dirt Farmer' purely from an Amazon recommendation and I have to say that it is one of those gems that hasn't been out of my stereo since. It is definitely a grower of an album and gets better with each listen. There is a distinct country feel to this album, which is somewhat of a departure for me, but in no way is it twee or cliched. In fact I'd say this album is a cross between country and American folk, somewhere along the lines of Springsteen's Seeger sessions, but without the big band feel. Levon's voice is perfectly pitched to each story told in the songs and I love sitting back and immersing myself in the music and stories. The whole album is pretty good but the last track ' Wide River To Cross' really stands out for me, a beautiful way to end an album. A great album and well worth a try, I'll definitely be hunting down more from Levon to see what I can find. |
| he (was) with the band: Rating: 5 out of 5 |
| how i wish i could invent a whole new superlative for this disc; i wans't even that big a fan of the band but this is a small wry, witty, work of briliiance. fantastic harmonies, violins which sound more than human, and some brilliant guitar-picking - The Dirt Farmer has it all - and then some. |
| Agree..agree..agree: Rating: 5 out of 5 |
Couldn't agree more with the other reviews. Its just a gem of a record which sadly won't receive wide distribution. Takes a couple of hearings, but repays the effort.
I loved basic simplicity of The Band and thought they finished far too soon to no-one's great advantage. Levon's voice and rythmical sensitivity has, if anything, improved over the challenges of the years since The Last Waltz. Don't hesitate....buy it! |
| Remarkable album from a remarkable survivor: Rating: 5 out of 5 |
| Normally I would hesitate to give an album 5 stars since - somehow it goes against the grain to say that any record ticks all the boxes and couldn't be improved upon. However I am delighted to make an exception for Dirt Farmer which is so good in every respect that to award it anything less than 5 stars seems curmudegeonly. That Helm has produced such a great record is all the more remarkable since he has recovered from surgery for throat cancer to make it. And the voice, though maybe a little rougher than it used otm be is in fine shape, whether singing alone or in harmony with his daughter Amy. The material is a mixture of folk, hillbilly and gospel with some R and B flourishes, played with great flair and sensitvity by Helm and his fellow musicians. At nearly 70 years of age Helm is already an American legend and judging by Dirt Farmer has a lot more good music in front of him. |
