Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters perform a rather unique blend of folk, western and bluegrass. A few years ago, as an employee of a "guest ranch," (they used to be called dude ranches) she would take the guests out a-ridin' and a-ropin' during the day, then, in the evening, would be the entertainment, playing and singing around the campfire. This background explains a lot of the band's repertoire, which includes a lot of what might be called "cowboy" music. The opener, "Blue Yodel no. 4," "Where the Old Red River Flows," "Rancher's Lullaby," and the closer, "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," all fit into this genre. Traditional bluegrass type tunes, such as "Monroe-esque" written by guitarist/mandolinist Kevin Lynch, are the exception, rather than the rule, here. Amy has described bluegrass music as "music from the heart, sung through the nose", that description, however, doesn't fit Amy and Stillwaters. Nasal is not a word anyone could use to describe Amy's voice, which sounds as if a Joan Baez-ish folkie had taken up bluegrass. The musicianship here is first rate, with the aforementioned Kevin Lynch on guitar and mandolin; Kevin, by the way, displays his near-encyclopedic knowledge of bluegrass and traditional music on his radio show on WWUH, 91.3 FM, on Saturday mornings, for those of you within listening distance of Hartford, CT. Matt Nozzolio is on Dobro, Tom Bowman plays bass, and Steve Brechter does the banjo honors. The liner notes also credit Johannes Bodingius with bass on two cuts. This CD was, as the title suggests, recorded live during two European tours, in 1996 and 1998, at several different venues, all in the Netherlands. The sound quality of the disc is very high, giving a good representation of the different acoustic settings represented. The recording is clean, with the attack of the various instruments crisp, and decay appropriately lingering. Standouts include "Love at 20 Paces," a slow tempo ballad, and "Where the Old Red River Flows," featuring great Dobro work by Nozzolio as well as fine guitar from Lynch. "Back Home Again," features some great harmony, as well as a natural sense of the acoustic, with good depth and soundstage. I find it hard to believe that I actually LIKE this song, written, as it was, by John Denver, who, to be polite, was never one of my favorite singer/songwriters. Gallatin, however, manages to transform this chestnut in a beautiful, heartfelt performance. "1000 Miles" shows a beautiful sense of space and "air" around the vocal, which is delivered with real feeling, such that you sense that she really means it. "All this plane ride holds for me / is 1000 miles of misery." Gallatin describes the song "Pete's Lovesick Blues" as "similar to the story of the European tour." It probably describes many a tour by many a band, or whatever genre. "Coffee in the morning, whiskey at night / Keeps me healthy, feelin' alright / I don't know why I ever let you make me cry." The aforementioned "Monroe-esque" is a classic bluegrass instrumental (known as a "breakdown") that serves to show off the tremendous musical prowess of the band members, as well as Kevin Lynch's talents as a composer. "Monroe-esque," along with the last two cuts, "Rancher's Lullaby," and "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," were recorded at the Big Bear Festival in Zuidlaren, NL. The rest of the CD was recorded at the Home of Strictly Country, in Harpel, NL. "Rancher's Lullaby" is a slow and pretty Western tune, sung by Amy with only guitar accompaniment. The album closer, "I Want To Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," written by Patsy Montana, was, so I am told, the first Number One song by a female vocalist on the country charts, way back in the 1930's. Amy uses this song's up-tempo, happy sound to close most of her live shows. I happened to hear this group perform live three times within the past year, once at a bluegrass festival before a fairly sizable crowd, once at a lunchtime "mini-concert" in downtown Springfield, MA at which there were probably two or three dozen people attending, and finally at an evening show in Great Barrington, MA, with fewer than 10 in the audience. No matter what the size of the audience, Amy always performs as if she is doing it for hundreds of people, always giving her best, as does her band. In talking with Amy and the group after the show, I came away with the impression that they would be doing the same thing in the same way, even if all the audiences were composed of just a dozen people. I'm sure they aren't making a fortune doing what they are doing, in fact, I would be surprised if they make ends meet, but, like all the best musicians, they play because they know that it's the music that's important. It comes from the heart and that shows on this disc, which comes highly recommended. Bluegrass fans will love it, and those who are new to the genre will probably find Amy's "non-traditional," at least for bluegrass, voice far more palatable than the usual nasal "whine."

- by Mike Driscoll
The Audiophile Voice ~ Vol. 8, Issue 4

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