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Vince Gill has long been one of my favorite country artists,so when I
got the opportunity to write this article reviewing the album,"These
Days", I jumped at the chance. Many people have seen Vince Gill as the
emcee of the CMA awards in past years, but due to the changing type of
music on top 40 country, I feel that he has not been heard as much as he
should be. First of all, I would like to say that although he has long

garnished the admiration of his peers, and fans, the versatility of this
entertainer has been mostly under-rated. Gill started out as a country rocker
in the now defunct band,"Pure Prairie League". He played guitar, and sang
tenor back-up, and later along with the great Ricky Skaggs, played in Emmy
Lou Harris' Hot Band. With these credentials of having played rock, and roots
music, no wonder Vince Gill is such a versatile entertainer!
I personally have listened to several tracks on this CD,
and although I do not as yet own a copy, that is soon to change! The first song
that I would like to discuss on the review of this 4-Disc CD collection released by MCA records last year is "Give Me the Highway", a peppy bluegrass type tune that features the formidable Del McCoury band as back-up group. It is track number seven on disc-2. Another bluegrass song that is the first selection I ever heard on the
fantastic album is entitled,"The Cold Gray Light of Gone". This is a very strong song,a tear-jerker of a "love-gone wrong song", and I distinctly remember that first
time that I heard it.The song almost bowled me over. I was listening to Sirius
65,satellite bluegrass,and the high lonesome tenor of Gill gave me a chill down my
spine. These two tracks show Vince Gill's "con-Vince-ability" as a bluegrass artist.
He did a song several years called,"High Lonesome",and his voice is the personific-
ation of the "high lonesome" sound. "The Cold Gray Light of Gone" is a slower cut
than "Give Me the Highway", and Vince is also backed by the Del McCoury group on this tune. The selection" The Reason Why",is a love song,featuring Allison Krause,
a contemporary legend in this genre of roots oriented music. The song shows Vince's
tender ballad side, and because of his smooth vocal ability in this type of song,
he has long been a hit with ladies of the 30-something set, and on up.(His good looks and charm don't hurt nothin',either!) The next song I would like to mention
in this review is a country-blues oriented number called "Molly Brown". Vince is
also comfortable in this genre. It is track#5,disc-2 on the four CD set. The last
song I am going to talk about is the country rocker,"Workin' on a Big Chill",
and it is track 1 on Disc-1. This song demonstrates Mr. Gills skills in the form
of music where he first made his mark, and in summary I would like to say,that if
you like a good mix of music that runs the gamut from roots to rock, this is it.
If you want to hear great singers,great instrument background, and great songs,
then this entertainer provides the total package. If you are still in doubt as to
whether you would like this album,check it out on myspace,Vince Gills page, or on
Amazon, and decide for yourself. Meanwhile, I'll be listening to my copy on my car
stereo, and have something better to listen to than top 40 radio. Later,Brothers
and Sisters, and
Good Music Listeners

Learn more about this author, Loy Hamilton.
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