Back Again For One Last Singalong

The Carter Family: Together Again (Sphere Records)

The Carter Family

By Bob Mitchell

After sitting on a dusty shelf for years, a new CD, The Carter Family: Together Again, is available for the first time. The family members Helen Carter, Anita Carter and June Carter Cash (wife of Johnny Cash) made the recording in 1991 at the old LSI Studios in Nashville. The project sat on the shelf for years until the assets of LSI were obtained by Sphere Records. The project was discovered and the family contacted about releasing it.

Lorrie Davis Bennett, the granddaughter of Maybelle Carter of the original Carter Family and daughter of Anita Carter, is very pleased with the new CD. Two of Anita's favorite Carter Family songs, "Amber Tresses" and "Winding Stream," are included in the new release.

Bennett said she knew the two favorites were going to be included, "but it was a pleasant surprise hearing them the way they were done." Asked what the Carter sisters would think of the new release, Bennett said, "They would be very happy. They would really like it." Indeed they would. Several of my favorite tracks include "You Are My Flower," "Foggy Mountain Top" (one of the first songs I learned from old Carter family recordings) and "In The Valley of the Shenandoah."

This release is an extension of the family's commitment to authenticity. It is a joyful celebration of traditional country music played the way country music should be played. What impressed me was the beautiful, uncluttered presentation of each song. Clearly, the focus of the project is the human voice. The minimal use of musical support is the perfect underpinning to the sister's crystalline vocals and the appareled elegance of their harmony.

Anyone who is familiar with traditional country music will be familiar with the song selection, but each track is pure country gold. The CD showcases exceptionally talented performers and deserves a place in your collection not only because it is thoroughly enjoyable, but also be because it documents a historically significant slice of our country's unique musical literature.

For more, check out www.CarterFamilyCD.com.