"Walk This Mountain Down" by Donna Ulisse - A review

Before getting into the review I would like to tell you how I happened to meet Donna this year at the IBMA in Nashville.  Each year I represent the club, The Virginia Bluegrass Family and my soon to be ended newsletter, but now a blog, "Bluegrass Virginia."  In recent years the word has gotten out and I receive unsolicited requests from various bands to showcase in our "Night Owl Concerts."  One of the many I heard from via email was Donna Ulisse. (Check out her web site by clicking here and her myspace site here.)  To be truthful I was trying to book names that were better known and certainly Donna Ulisse was not a name I was familiar with.  There's an old saying that goes, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease," and it certainly applies in Donna's case.  Her agent was most persistent (squeaky!) and I finally simply decided to choose (Grease!) Donna as on of our showcase bands.  She and her band The Poor Mountain Boys showcased on Tuesday night at 12 midnight.  Here's a couple of snapshots from her appearance.   I chatted a few times with Donna and discovered she is a native Virginian, born in Hampton, Virginia.  Now, on to the review.

"WALK THIS MOUNTAIN DOWN"

RADIO RELEASE DATE: January 6, 2009

STREET RELEASE DATE: January 20, 2009

I'd like to begin this review by telling you a little something about how I look at and perceive Bluegrass.  There are two basic types, traditional and contemporary, however within these types are many shades and levels of Bluegrass.  I would classify this CD entitled "Walk This Mountain Down" as contemporary Bluegrass and from there into the sub-set of song/singer driven contemporary Bluegrass.  Donna has written or co-written every song on the CD and for a relative newcomer to Bluegrass that is quite a feat.  The CD starts off with an up-tempo tune called "In My Wildest Dreams."  It speaks of everyday things in life, but from there when bedtime comes she dreams of a life free of the humdrum and dreams of the freedom to do as she pleases.  Next up is the song "Poor Mountain Boy." which has already been released as a single to radio stations all around the country.  Co-written with her husband Rick Stanley, the song speaks of the a marriage between two folks who have very different feelings about married life.  She wanted to party and he wanted to simply stay home, hence a "Poor Mountain Boy."  This song straddles the fence between modern contemporary Bluegrass and the "new" country music that it could possibly receive airplay in both venues.  "Dust To Dust" is a  song of unrequited love that speaks of the fact that love or not we shall all return to dust.  The instruments get a chance to work out on this tune as we hear Andy Leftwich on Mandolin, Rob Ickes on Dobro, Scott Vestal on Banjo and Keith Sewell on Guitar all jamming on the long break toward the end of the song.  Things slow down on "Love's Crazy Train" as Donna sings of how love seems to be a crazy ride on a crazy train.  "Walk This Mountain Down," the title song, is a Gospel flavored song telling of leaving troubles behind by leaving them behind as you "Walk This Mountain Down."  I think my favorite song on the CD is "The Trouble with you."  This is a song that could be a country/pop hit.  The chorus has a fun and catchy line.  It goes: 'The trouble with you is that you're sure good looking and looking at you is what the women do. The trouble with me is that I don't trust women, especially when they're looking at trouble with you.'  I really think Donna should show this song to some of today's country/pop stars.   The seventh song tells the story of a woman who grew up during the 1930's as a "Child of the Great Depression."  Co-written with Marc Rossi, it reminds us of the deep impact this terrible time in our past had on those who grew up during those years.  "The Key" is a Gospel song that tells us we have the key to heaven if we simply have faith.  Donna sings of true love when she sings "Lovin' Every Minute."  She has remained strong because she has kept her true love in everything in her life.  A very well thought out song sung with conviction.  "I Lied" has a good bouncy Bluegrass rhythm to it and, to me, has the grassiest sound on the CD.  It speaks of allowing someone to leave by saying they can never come back, but she doesn't really want him to leave.  "These Troubles" speaks of how life can be hard and how life's troubles can keep you from living life to it's fullest, but it has the hope that times will improve.  Three part harmony and part singing makes "Everything Has Changed" a strong Gospel song.  With a good Bluegrass feel and the cascading voices in the chorus add a nice touch.  The last song on the project is entitled "Levi Stone."  Donna says this is a true story about a man who lived by the Gospel and, though he suffered great losses in his life, he maintained that faith. 

"Walk This Mountain Down" is a well produced project (Produced by: Keith Sewell) with well thought out instrumentation throughout.  If your tastes lean toward the more contemporary sounds of Bluegrass then you will definitely want to add this CD to your library.