High Lonesome Sound (CD - 1996)

"Worlds Apart" won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The title track, featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station, won the 1997 Grammy for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals. The title track was also nominated for Best Country Song, and the album was nominated for Best Country Album. "Pretty Little Adriana" won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

Personnel: Vince Gill (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut-string guitar, mandolin); Vince Gill (vocals); Alison Krauss (vocals, fiddle); Jeff Guernsey, Jeff Geurnsey (fiddle); Pete Wasner (piano, electric piano, Hammond b-3 organ, synthesizer); Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, synthesizer); Leland Sklar, Barry Bales (bass guitar); Lisa Bevill, Nicole C. Mullen, Patty Loveless, Shelby Lynne, Bekka Bramlett, Robert Bailey , Billy Thomas, Chris Rodriguez , Kim Fleming, Kim Richey (background vocals); Billy Joe Walker, Jr., Steuart Smith (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Dan Tyminski, Jeff White (acoustic guitar); John Hughey (steel guitar); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Ron Block (banjo); Adam Steffey (mandolin); Carlos Vega (drums).

Audio Mixer: Chuck Ainlay.

Recording information: Emerald Sound Studios; Masterfonics, Nashville, TN; The Tracking room.

Photographer: McGuire.

Although Vince Gill is renowned as a country performer, the Oklahoma native actually got his start playing in traditional bluegrass bands. This 1996 album finds Gill getting back in touch with his roots without abandoning his easy-going, pop-tinged style. In fact, although much of the record features a pleasant, down-home vibe, only the title track, which appears in two versions, boasts a decent shot of true bluegrass.

While the first rendition of the tune shines a spotlight of Gill's adept guitar playing, the second take has Alison Krauss and Union Station lending their instrumental expertise to the lilting number. Other highlights of HIGH LONESOME SOUND include the Lyle Lovett-esque "One Dance with You," the gentle "Pretty Little Adriana," and the lovelorn "Worlds Apart." Though Gill's albums were no longer hitting multi-platinum marks by this point, HIGH LONESOME SOUND reveals that the singer/songwriter was willing to follow his muse, regardless of commercial appeal or Nashville trends.

Vince Gill takes off on a tour of American music on High Lonesome Sound. The title cut steps back to a time he hasn't visited in a while, drawing on his days as a bluegrass singer and guitarist to create a soaring, harmony-driven sound that applies Appalachian drive to modern country rhythms. Most of the rest of the album's journey treks in new directions. The aggressive guitar riff that opens "One Dance with You" is straight Chicago blues, while the jaunty feel that enlivens "Down to New Orleans" draws on the Windy City's funky rhythms with a deft touch worthy of Little Feat -- with Lowell George, that is. "Tell Me Lover," also bearing the trace print of Little Feat, dances through a swampy groove. The arrangements by Gill and producer Tony Brown give traditional sounds a modern sheen while maintaining a distinct regional flavor. Gill gets much more room to show off his impressive guitar prowess than on his past records. A pair of small complaints are that his lyrics don't match the music (they are steeped in the modern country topical schemes) and he can overly sweeten the blues. Elsewhere, he uses the clichéd aspects of Cajun music in paying homage to Louisiana's musical heritage (R&B and New Orleans second-line rhythms aren't here and should be, because he's musically sophisticated enough to pull them off). Therefore, this album works best when he's not straining for authenticity: "Worlds Apart," "Given More Time," and "Pretty Little Adriana" leaven his tried-and-true formula into arrangements that are more progressively atmospheric than his past hits. Gill owns too many strengths to need to transform himself into Lowell George or Bonnie Raitt at this point in his career; he can leave his own mark on any music he chooses to play and -- for the most part -- does so here. ~ Michael McCall & Thom Jurek minimize