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 Maverick
country music magazine - January 2005
Lilly of the West A Collection
PolySoundMK15767
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Eastern
European bluegrass- flavoured acoustic country Lilly Drumeva,
either with or without her band, or working as Lily & Rosie
(with England's Rosie Davis), has been a stalwart of the thriving
European bluegrass scene for the past eight years. The Bulgarian-born
singer, guitarist and songwriter along with her talented band
puts on an invigorating stage show, keeping audiences glued
to their seats from start to finish. She loves what she is doing
and it shows! It is part of the reason why they have proved
such a successful act, not only in Europe, but also in the States,
where they've played the IBMA and various venues in Nashville.
On this twelve-song compilation they successfully blend a great
mixture of acoustic, bluegrass, gospel and original music that
is on par with anything you're likely to find on a Sugar Hill
or Rounder album.
Only in her early thirties, Lilly is yet another example of
how women are demonstrating that bluegrass is truly a multi-gender
music with appeal for all generations, young and old. Singing
in a delicate, almost fragile soprano, she has come up with
a rootsy and intimately produced affair that pulls together
selections from three Lilly of the West albums-1996's LILLY
OF THE WEST, 1998'S LIVE IN HOLLAND and 1999's DEAR & KIND-along
with a great version of I'll Fly Away by Lilly & Rosie,
plus four new recordings.
The album opens on a strong note with Stephen Lowis' Rescue,
a quality song and stunning performance right up there in the
Alison Krauss class. Lilly shows herself to be a talented writer,
especially with Don't Wanna Live Anymore, a personal, heartfelt
ballad full of deep soul and emotion. This album contains a
diverse variety of songs, best classified as contemporary bluegrass
with old-time country overtones. From a great rendition of Gordon
Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain through Gillian Welch's Orphan
Girl to the driving instrumental Bill Cheatham, all served up
with expert flair. Musically sophisticated, Lilly and her musicians
know how to infuse infectious energy and deep-down emotion into
their songs and arrangements.
Alan
Cackett
Editor
Maverick country music magazine
ww.maverick-country.com
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LILLY & ROSIE - "The Lily And The
Rose"
Sounds like a duo, but it's actually
a trio comprising bluegrass and old timey stalwarts Rosie Davis
and Rick Townend along with Lilly Drumeva who recently moved
to the UK from her home in Bulgaria where she headed the band
Lilly Of The West.
The six track CD serves as an introduction to the group - and
a very fine sound they make, reminiscent in many ways to the
Carter family.
Rosie plays autoharp, Lilly plays guitar and Rick adds mandolin,
fiddle and banjo whilst all three contribute vocals on material
ranging from The Louvin's "Give This Message To Your Heart"
to the traditional "I'll Fly Away" plus a couple of
Carter classics along with the title song, written by Rosie.
Lovely stuff!!!!!
Jim Marshall,
British Country Music Association Bulletin,
April 2002
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We've come,
if not to expect, then at least no to be especially surprised
that great bluegrass music can flourish in such foreign, decidedly
non-bluegrass locales as the Czech Republic, Japan and Holland.Even
so, Bulgaria is not a country most Bluegrass Unlimited readers
would list in their "Top Ten Places Where Good Bluegrass is
Played" poll.
"Lilly",
of Lilly of the West, is Lilly Drumeva, a strikingly beautiful,
red-headed Bulgarian singer and guitarist who's adopted American
bluegrass and country music as her own.Singing in a delicate,
almost fragile soprano with only a trace of a foreign accent,
she moves through an assortment of 13 bluegrass and country
standards and original tunes written by her and the topnotch
Bulgarian musicians backing her on this excellent project.
The
instrumentation here includes guitar, mandolin, fiddle, resonator
guitar, along with non-bluegrass instruments such as piano,
drums, pedal steel, and harmonica.The musicians here are still
learning the well-developed bluegrass chops of other Eastern
European bluegrass musicians who've undoubtedly had greater
exposure to American bluegrass musicians like Tony Trischka
and Dan Crary who've toured extensively and conducted workshops
in that part of the world.
Still,
when the spirit is moved by this music we all love, a ton of
musical sincerity and honesty certainly make up for a little
unfamiliarity with musical norms. The tunes here range from
some great classics like "Muddy Water", "Church Street Blues",
and Hank Williams "I'm Satisfied With You".
If
this project is any indication, Lilly Drumeva has a very bright
future in bluegrass music, whether she's playing in a mountain
valley deep in Bulgaria or performing on the American bluegrass
festival circuit. Recommended.
David J McCarty
Bluegrass Unlimited
January1999
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