Since I didn’t have time to review any charts or download any new music, I listened on Twang Tuesday to an album I downloaded several weeks ago and have previously mentioned Walk this Mountain Down by Donna Ulisse. I saw Donna’s name because of her current release Holy Waters is on one of the charts. When I went to Rhapsody and listened briefly to Holy Waters I realized while it is a great album it is too gospel for me! But Walk This Mountain Down has just the right mix a couple gospel tracks and a lot of other well written bluegrass tunes.
According to her biography at her website the Hampton, Virginia native started out a country artist and signed with Atlantic Records where she released the album Trouble At The Door in 1991. The album had three singles and two videos. During this time she appeared on the network TV show “Hot Country Nights”, was a guest on “Hee Haw”, “Nashville Now” and “Crook and Chase”.
After several years of writing her own music which tended to be more bluegrass than country. Atlantic Records decided to release an album and create a label around the project. The album released in 2007 When I Look Back was well received by radio and fans. Walk This Mountain Down was the follow up in 2008 and it is full of great tunes and great picking.
In addition to her Poor Mountain Boys Band, several other artists helped out on the album including: Andy Leftwich (mandolin, fiddle), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Scott Vestal (banjo), Byron House (upright bass), producer Keith Sewell on acoustic guitar and harmony vocals and Claire Lynch provides background vocals on “Dust to Dust”
While all of the songs are written by Donna, many have co-writers. Co-writers include Donna’s husband Rick Stanley, Marc Rossi, Richard Leigh (writer of Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue) was the co-writer on one of my favorite tracks “Love’s Crazy Train”.
Other standout tracks include “In My Wildest Dreams”, “The Trouble With You”,”Child of the Great Depression” . If you check out Donna’s myspace page . You’ll see the songs that got a lot of play on Sirius Radio in June of 2009.
Here’s Donna performing “These Troubles” from Walk this Mountain Down