| 1. Bury Me Beneath The Willow 2. Riding Through Life 3. Blackjack Davy 4. Rock Of Ages 5. Don't Worry 6. Hot Corn, Cold Corn 7. Wayfaring Stranger 8. Little Rosewood Casket 9. Dust 10. Angeline The Baker 11. John Defoe 12. Heaven's Door |
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| The Fritts Family's 2001 release from Mtn. Music & Arts |
| "Dust" |
| Available on CD only |
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| This CD features 4 orginal tunes by Sarah Fritts: "Riding Through Life", "Dust", "John Defoe", "Heaven's Door" |
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| PERFORMERS |
| Larry Fritts - banjo, guitar, & vocals Geoffrey Fritts - bass fiddle & vocals |
| Sarah Fritts - fiddle & vocals Joshua Fritts - mandolin & guitar |
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| CD Review Appearing in January, 2002 Issue Of Country Music News |
| The Fritts Family of Rogersville, Tennessee, are obviously one of bluegrass music's better kept secrets... Dust is their twelfth album, and here we are getting to hear their music for the first time. The Fritts Family features father Larry Fritts (banjo/guitars) with his sons Joshua (mandolin) and Geoffrey (bass fiddle), and Sarah (lead vocals/fiddle). It is Sarah Fritts, with her Dolly Parton/Alison Krauss flavoured high lonesome vocal work that is the focal point of attention. Country fans will feel a special shiver here with Sarah Fritts' spine-tingling version of the Marty Robbins classic Don't Worry...it's worth the price of admission onits own. Sarah is also the songwriter of the family, contributing four originals here, most notably the title track Dust, the plaintive Heaven's Door, and the rousing Riding Through Life. Dust is a special treat for anyone who enjoys traditional bluegrass music ...done family style here, with all the trimmings. |
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| The first time I heard the Fritts Family it was on a soggy night in April 1997, at the Boxcar Pinion Bluegrass Festival in Chattanooga, TN. As headliners that evening, the band took the stage just as a driving rain was intensifying, threatening to breach the safe haven of the picnic shelter under which we were sitting. As soon as the band began to play, however, all concerns about the weather quickly faded. The evening's performance combined the best traditions of East Tennessee family bands, like the Carters, with the Fritts Family's distinctive sound. Even then, it was clear that the barely-teenage Sarah Fritts was coming into her own as a performer. That potential is borne out on the Fritts Family's newest CD, Dust, which serves as something of a showcase for fiddler/vocalist Sarah. Ably handling the bulk of the vocal work, Sarah puts her stamp on traditional tunes like "Wayfaring Stranger", "Bury Me Beneath The Willow", "Blackjack Davy", and others. Her lonesome vocals breathe new life into Marty Robbins' "Don't Worry", and she, and father, Larry, combine voices nicely on the Gillian Welch and David Rawlings tune, "Rock Of Ages", with instrumental backing from brothers Joshua and Geoffrey. It's not just Sarah "the performer" that has blossomed on this recording as her considerable talent as a songwriter is also brought to the fore here. Sarah wrote four of the tracks on this album. My favorites are "Heaven's Door", a waltz that has a real old-time sound to it, and "John Defoe". With a dozen albums behind them, the Fritts Family has fine tuned their sound and this may be their best offering yet. |
| CD Review Appearing in December, 2002 Issue Of Bluegrass Now Magazine |