Down the Old Plank Road - The Chieftains

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Reviewed by Kathy Coleman

Country music's roots are well and deep grown into the hills and hollers of the smoky Appalachian Mountains of the southern United States, but many of those ingrown roots were carefully transplanted from the Emerald Isle, and the duty owed to pure Celtic music is often obvious when listening to the pure, old-fashioned Mountain music of such masters as Dr. Ralph Stanley; even in the newer-fangled bluegrass styles of Bill Monroe and his acolytes; sometimes you can even hear it in real country music of today.

The Chieftains blend their pure style of Celtic music together with some of the masters of each of those styles of country music with their newest release, Down the Old Plank Road.

Joining their masterful ancient chops with more modern flavor makes old and new alike sound absolutely glorious. There is a chillingly beautiful sound to this music, a delightful longing and intensity of feeling that is, perhaps, speaking to my own Irish roots. (As the old joke goes, "What makes America different from Ireland?" "It has more Irishmen.") Whatever the cause, there were times when listening to this disc where I had to stop everything I was doing and just LISTEN, as goosebumps crawled deliciously over my skin and my heart beat with the rhythm of the bodhran (drum) or thrilled to the sound of the tin whistle and uilleann pipes.

Starting out with the old Irish jig "Old Plank Road" (which was connected to country when Opry Legend Uncle Dave Macon sang it), joined by the eclectic voice mix of John Hiatt, Bela Fleck, Jeff White, and Tim O'Brien, this music rejoices in not only the roots of country music, but the roots of those roots.

Also joining the Chieftains on this disc are Buddy and Julie Miller, Earl Scruggs (his banjo solo on "Sally Goodin" unattended by vocals), Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Alison Krauss (who easily scores the hot track on this disc with a hair-raisingly beautiful and haunting rendition of the Irish dirge, "Molly Ban"), Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lyle Lovett, The Del McCoury Band, Vince Gill (who sounds absolutely delicious singing pure music like this), and Martina McBride, her lovely voice crystalline clear and heavenly when she's not desperately straining those holy chords of hers in an attempt to compete with other overwrought pop divas. This is what she should be singing, because, well, WOW.

The Chieftains consist of Irish boys Paddy Moloney, Sean Keane, Kevin Conneff, and Matt Molloy. Their masterful combination of true-to-life Celtic music blended with these New World voices is marvelous to listen to, eerie and magnificent.

Song List:

1. Down the Old Plank Road - John Hiatt, Bela Fleck, Jeff White, Tim O'Brien
2. Country Blues - Buddy & Julie Miller
3. Sally Goodin - Earl Scruggs
4. Dark As A Dungeon - Vince Gill
5. Cindy- Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
6. Molly Ban (Bawn) - Alison Krauss
7. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down - Lyle Lovett
8. Ladies Pantalettes/Bells of Blackville/First House in Connaught (Reels) - Bela Fleck
9. While Heap Of Little Horses - Patty Griffin
10. Rain And Snow - The Del McCoury Band
11. I'll Be all Smiles Tonight - Martina McBride
12. Tennessee Stud - Jeff White
13. Katie Dear - Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
14. Give the Fiddler A Dram (Finale) - Various Artists