Classic country pop "todays music yesterday"

11 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Pop, COUNTRY: Traditional Country



Details:
REVIEW:
Homage to Countryâs Golden Age All Heart
Pat Moore and The Vinyl Frontier
The Ottawa Sun â March 7, 2007

It began, Pat Moore recalls, with a mid-tempo weeper called Take it to Heart. And a dream.
"I wrote that song and thought, 'I would love to hear Ray Charles sing this,' "the local singer-songwriter explains. "That led to my writing a number of other songs in that style."
Sadly, Brother Ray left us before Moore's composition -- a track that would indeed sound at home on either of Charles' seminal early-1960s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music albums -- could wing its way to the legend. But the song served as a worthy starting point for Moore's latest CD, a collection of songs that pay homage to the sound, style and feel of country pop's golden age.
"The songs came fairly easily, once I'd decided to stay in that vein," says Moore. "I spent a lot of my early years singing country and bluegrass, so it was like going back to my roots."
Take it to Heart, the album, wears its Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Louvin Brothers and Hank Thompson influences proudly, as Moore and her band The Vinyl Frontier explore everything from heartaches-by-the-number ballads to western swing.

"I really wanted to capture the sound and feel of that era," Moore says. "I know Ray Charles will never sing my song, but I'll always picture him when I perform it." Allan Wigney

REVIEW:
Country Music News March 2007
By Larry Delaney

Pat Moore is an Ottawa-based singer/songwriter who debuted on disc back in 2003 with her much-acclaimed The Timeâs Never Been Better album. Guess whatâ¦the timeâs have just gotten a whole lot better with this new offering.

As the name of Pat Mooreâs support band The Vinyl Frontier would suggest, thereâs a retro sound to this musicâ¦as in Patsy Cline and the sounds of the 60âs. Pat Moore has written most of the songs (there are three âcoverâ tunes) and she covers a wide range of musical influences â everything from Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, to Ray Charles â delivering the material with a vocal style not unlike fellow Canuck Cindy Church (of Quartette, etc. fame).

The album opens with the western swing tune Forgivinâ and Forgettinâ , which allows members of The Vinyl Frontier to strut their stuff; and then Pat Moore shows a mellow side with the ballad How Long. It doesnât take long before she moves into a mid-tempo mode with Cold-Hearted Man; some great harmonies are featured on Iâll Be Your Fool âTil the End of My Days; and then we get treated to some hardcore country in Thereâs A Dark Cloud Hanging Over Me and From One Cheating Heart to Another.

The albumâs title track, Take It To Heart, which is featured as the closing entry is Pat Mooreâs personal tribute to a mentor, the late Ray Charles.

Also featured are three well picked âcoverâ tunes, Drinking Too Much, a tune written by Fred Eaglesmith with Pat Moore pours her heart and soul into; the Eddy Arnold popularized You Donât Know Me, and the obligatory Patsy Cline number, this time itâs Strange, which has also been covered in the past by Connie Smith and more recently by Michelle Branch, now of the Wreckers Fame.

Take it to Heart was recorded at producer Al Braggâs Skidmore Studios in Ottawa; and features Bragg on piano, steel, and dobro as well as back-up vocals, and fellow Vinyl Frontier members Pat McLaughlin on guitars, Bob Bangs (drums), and Ann Downey on stand-up bass.

REVIEW:
The Ottawa Citizen, Saturday March 17, 2007
Patrick Langston ***1/2

Fortunately, Ottawaâs Pat Moore is a much happier person n life than in song. Not that youâd know that from her terrific sophomore album, with its tales of hurt and misunderstanding piled on on top of the next. And donât let that jaunty western swing opener Forgivinâ and Fogettinâ fool you: this is whiskey-drinking, heart-wreck territory done up in classic 1950âs and â60âs era country arrangements.

Blending solid original tunes with three covers, including Fred Eaglesmithâs discomfiting Drinking Too Much, Moore dissects pain with warmth and clear-sightedness. Her full, clear voice is enriched by often-lush backing vocals that underscore the singerâs emotional isolation.

Steel guitarist Al Bragg and standup bassist Ann Downey are among the accompanists.



Liner Notes:
When I wrote âTake it to Heartâ, I thought it would be great to have Ray Charles sing it. Sadly, âThe Geniusâ died before I could get the song recorded, but imagining him performing it gave me the idea to write a series of songs in the style of the vintage country pop of the 1950âs and 1960âs. Writing the songs with this vision was a lot of fun; recording them was the icing on the cake. Add a few cover tunes to these originals, and you have the âTake it to Heartâ collection. With nostalgia in mind, I called upon the beautiful Mayfair Theatre just blocks from my home in Old Ottawa South as a backdrop for the photos. Built in 1932, the Mayfair originally featured silent films with a house piano player. I hope to bring âTake it to Heartâ live to the theatre stage this year.All Songs by Pat Moore except * .

1. Forgivinâ and Forgettinâ 2:45
Western Swing â simple message: âforgivinâ and forgettingâ, thatâs my mottoâ.

2. How Long 3:56
âFirst you ignored her, now you adore herâ. Whereâs the line?

3. Cold-Hearted Man 2:58
We had a lot of fun with this one. What rhymes with circus?

4. Strange* 3:02
By Mel Tillis and Fred Burch â a great song that hasnât been overdone.

5. Iâll Be Your Fool âTil the End of My Days 2:03
We were already well into the recording of the CD when I wrote this one. I thought âwe donât have a Louvin Brothers-style duetâ. Now we do!

6. Thereâs a Dark Cloud Hanging Over Me 4:41
Think Johnny Cash. Like Ray Charles, another inspiring artist.

7. From One Cheatinâ Heart to Another 2:55
Hank, Hank, Hankâ¦there are always two sides to the story. Hereâs mine!

8. It Hurts 2:46
Yup â itâs a hurtinâ song, complete with full 4-part harmony. Cheesy but fun, âit really hurtsâ.

9. You Donât Know Me* 3:53
By Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold â a beautiful song.

10. Are You Drinking Too Much* 4:24
A dynamite song by Fred Eaglesmith. When I first heard this song, years ago, I thought âwow, sounds like an oldie!â

11. Take it to Heart 4:02
I have a video running through my mind whenever I sing this song ⦠âTwo glasses in the parlour, lipstick smudged on oneâ¦â A bit of Patsy Cline, a dash of Ray Charles, add a drop of Ted Hawkins, and youâve got Take it to Heart.