Shaken By a Low Sound

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Shaken By a Low Sound
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  1. Audio CD: Release Date 2006-08-22
  2. Publisher: Signature Sounds Recordings
  3. Artist: Crooked Still
  4. Sales Rank in Music: #37849

Product Review

There's certainly nothing new about a band using bluegrass as a base for exploring musical territory outside of that genre's rigid boundaries: from New Grass Revival in the '70s to more recent experiments by Sam Bush and String Cheese Incident, the steady rise of Americana has owed much to these acoustic renegades. But the Massachusetts-based quartet Crooked Still, on their sophomore release, establishes themselves as one of the more notable outfits to take the post-bluegrass formula and run with it.

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Like Nickel Creek and the Duhks (and Alison Krauss and Union Station before them), Crooked Still employ bluegrass elements as a springboard for an eclectic, expansive dynamic. Behind the sweetly ethereal and occasionally jazzy vocals of Aoife O' Donovan, the interplay of Gregory Liszt's banjo, Rushad Eggleston's cello (both bowed and flatpicked), and Corey DiMario's double bass gives the young New England band a sound that is closer to chamber-grass than hoedown. Though none of the material on this label debut is original, the transformations typically are, with the murder balladry of "Little Sadie" given a surprisingly sprightly reading, Bob Dylan's early "Oxford Town" taken at double-time speed, and Robert Johnson's "Come On in My Kitchen" sounding more meditative than bluesy. The band and veteran producer Lee Townsend enlist a number of guests for harmony and instrumental support, but it's plain that the drummerless quartet has the talent and musical vision to deliver on this album's considerable promise. --Don McLeese
Title Tracks for Shaken By a Low Sound

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album, August 24, 2006
Bama Girl - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shaken By a Low Sound (Audio CD)
I originally became interested in Crooked Still when I heard Aoife sing on a Wayfaring Strangers' album. I like this album better than their first, Hop High, primarily because this time the instruments do not overpower Aoife's voice. The songs are drawn from diverse sources (primarily bluegrass, but a Shaker hymn and a blues classic also appear), the musicianship is impressive both technically and interpretively, and Aoife sings the songs beautifully. I bought two copies of the album before the official release date and have since bought an additional 6 copies for friends and family. The play length is about 39 minutes. The lyrics are not included with the album, but when I asked about this, Crooked Still said they are redesigning their website. When this is completed, the lyrics will be available on their site. There were only a couple of isolated words that I could not understand, so this is not a big issue.


8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good sophmore effort, September 16, 2006
Craig Fisher (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shaken By a Low Sound (Audio CD)
If you're checking out the reviews for Crooked Still you either already know what a great outfit these folks are or maybe you're poking around based on word-of-mouth. Regardless, they ably follow-up their amazing debut album (Hop High) with another collection of bluegrassy traditional songs and cover tunes on Shaken By a Low Sound. Again, the Still bring it to effect. Standout tracks include an upbeat version of the Dylan gem Oxford Town which comfortably segues into the classic Cumberland Gap, Ain't No Grave which gets the train song treatment, and an airy take on Wind and Rain. The album really is a good all-around listen; however, (and here are my reservations) it lacks a certain quality that made their debut such a fabulous disc; first, gone is the prominent spacey, hypnotic feel that made it sound that something heavy was going down in the studio that day. Additionally, maybe it's the production/arrangements (Robert Johnson's Come On In My Kitchen) or song choice (didn't the...Read more


5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Madman of the Cello!, February 26, 2007
1969mets "Joe" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shaken By a Low Sound (Audio CD)
This record is fine...wonderful, in fact. The band (a cello-bass-banjo power trio!) combines a profound understanding of the "trad" repertoire with hot chops and a hot chick singer with a breathy-but-tasteful delivery. BUT GO SEE THIS BAND LIVE!! I have just returned from Wintergrass and feel safe in saying that I have seen the future (of something or other) and his name is Rushad Eggleston, virtuoso madman. Rushad is evolving into a major force and, in addition his magical cello, he has--for lack of a better word--a schtick you have to see to believe. He is the Jimi-Django of this fabulous aggregation. GO SEE HIM BEFORE HE EXPLODES. Holy, holy bejesus!

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