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Rebel Records
PO Box 3057
Roanoke, VA 24015
A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange
by Allen Price
(aprice@firstdial.com)
A strong endorsement is found on the back cover of this new release:
"I've always enjoyed Richard's song writing as well as his musicianship. I'm sure you will love this recording."
- Tony Rice
Though not personally acquainted with Tony Rice, he does not seem to be one who hands out unearned endorsements. He backs it up with action too, playing guitar on this album, along with Bennett.
Richard Bennett wrote or cowrote half of the songs on this album. He plays a clean, rich sounding guitar, not unlike Rice. His voice has a smooth, pleasant quality, reminding one of early Gordon Lightfoot, and, you guessed it, Tony Rice.
The album is a nice mix of vocals (such as the title cut) and instrumentals (Pallet on the Floor), traditional tunes (Banks of the Ohio) and originals (Roan Mountain Rag). Bennett's and Rice's guitar work is flawless. Their third break on Pallet on the Floor is especially nice, split between the two of them.
WALKING DOWN THE LINE is a mellow album with some fine picking. Lacking is one "hot licks/ rip it up/ hang on because we're going like crazy" tune. Still, this is a fine album. Tony's not kidding.
| Richard Bennett- guitar, vocals Tony Rice- guitar Wanda Barnett Bennett- vocals Phil Ledbetter- dobro Mark Brooks- bass Jerome Webb- mandolin, fiddle Kenny Blanton- mandolin |
Edited by Roberta B. Schwartz (rschwartz@oeb.harvard.edu)
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