'Phoenix'

Bluegrass Unlimited said:

"Amy Gallatin has toured exIensively from her Connecticut base as a bandIeader and singer for many years. "Phoenix'' shows her and her group, Stillwaters to have carved out a nice musical niche for themselves. With her core band of resonator guitarist Roger Williams and bassist John Urbanik, and rounded out on this recording by Dave and Bob Dick, mandolinist Ben Pearce, and fiddler Mike Barnett, Gallatin adds her
crystalline voice and fine ear for a song. While WlIIiams contributes a handfuI of Iead vocaIs and two songs and an instrumental that he wrote himself, Gallatin and Stillwaters have managed to put together a collection of cover material from a wide variety of sources and managed the delicate balance of being both cohesive and eclectic. There is arguably only one
song that has had recognition elsewhere, that being "Uke I Used To Do", recorded both by the Seldom Scene and the song's co-author, Tim O'Brien. And even so. it benefits from being sung from a woman's perspective. Otherwise, a fine range of songs is drawn from the pens of a broad array of sources and genres, including country by way of Hank Williams and Buck Owens, pop via Richard Marx, and folk through the Burns Sisters, David Mallet, and Tanya Savory".

"Gallatin's voice is obviously well-trained, lending an eIfortIess purity to her delivery of each song. ThIs combined with her willingness to feature her band, and the often overlooked instrumental wizardry and versatility of Roger Williams and Dave Dick, allows the collective sound of Stillwaters to be exceptionally full and polished. Some bands that fall into the marketing
niche of "regional" get passed over by the larger bluegrass audience, but "Phoenix" is proof that this is a group deserving a listen from all".




'Something 'Bout You'

Audiophile Magazine said:

I was first introduced to the art of country duet singing by the records
of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. As a hippy-dippy Deadhead,
suddenly music that had seemed old-fashioned and corny to me was
revealed as being part of a beautiful genre. My ears had been opened;
Alleluia! The subject of this review is from that beautiful genre, “Something
‘Bout You” by Amy Gallatin and Roger Williams (The Dobro player, not the guy who founded Rhode Island). The songs are superb, as is the musicianship. The disc begins with the title track, written by Kevin Welch, a local bluegrass legend in western New England. It’s about two people who are very happy with their lives as they are, thank you, but find themselves falling for each other anyway. “I’ve got this life of mine, It’s nice and quiet and I like it fine. / I work real hard; I’ve got no time for you. /I’ve whiskied up my coffee cup, I’m sittin’ here tryin’ not to call you up. / It’s getting’ to where I don’t know what to do. / there’s something ‘bout you.” “I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name” is the second track on this disc, and it’s a fine one. The theme is typical for country music; “I thought I heard you calling my name, but by now you’re so many miles away.” “Slowly But Surely” is an upbeat “I’m falling in love, isn’t it wonderful?” tune saved from a schmaltzy fate by the musicianship of Williams and some fine sound of his Dobro. “Tear Stained Letter,” written by Roy Acuff, is a slow ballad featuring again some great Dobro work from Roger, as well as a nice piano fill by Ronnie Godfrey. Tex-Mex style makes an appearance with “my Dreams,” a sprightly tune with truly great pedal steel from John Heinrich. Amy then returns to her western roots with a song by Gene Autry, ”Old Pal of Yesterday.” “Don’t Blame Me“ has a distinct jazz feel to it, a slow tempo ballad with the percussionist making good use of his brushes. One of my personal favorite songs has always been “So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad).” For me, it would take a lot for anyone to outdo the version by Gene Clark, but here, Amy and Roger do just that. The harmonies here are
absolutely wonderful, with again, some great piano work from Ronnie
Godfrey as well as fiddle from Shad Cobb and more of that great steel
from John Henrich. The CD closer is “I Don’t Care,” where Amy tells her lover that she doesn’t care about other women in the past, she only wants him to be true to her from now on. “I don’t care if I’m not the first love you’ve
known, / just so I’ll be the last.” “Yesterday’s gone/ love me from now on/ be true to me/ forget about the past. The disc was recorded in Nashville, and the production is about what one would expect, with not a great deal of dynamic range. The stage is fairly wide, but without a lot of depth. The sound is crisp and clean as the proverbial whistle. If you aren’t familiar with the fine art of country duet singing, may I suggest this CD as a fine starting
point for exploring the genre? May I also suggest, in case you have never
heard them, the recordings by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, as well as “So Rebellious a Lover” by Gene Clark and Carla Olson. You
could then move on to George and Tammy, Porter and Dolly, etc. Have
Fun! This one’s highly recommended, by the way.

Mike Driscoll


Sing Out Magazine said of:
''Phoenix'' and "Sonething 'Bout You''

A native of Alabama, Amy Gallatin's career path as a folk./bluegrass singer and songwriler over the last two decades has passed through Idaho, on the way to her current base in New England where in the last few years she has teamed up professionally and personally with Ihe superlative Dobro artist Roger Williams; their shared affinity for their country and blue· grass backgrounds is on display on these two fine releases. Familiar to many bluegrass fans through his work with Northeast based bands like Southern Rail and White Mountain Bluegrass, Williams isn't quite the household name on his instrument as say, Jerry Douglas or Mike Auldridge. but resophonic aficionados will quickly tell you that he's easily in the same league. His powerful, driving slyle incorporates a lot of the classic country elements popularized by predecessors like Josh Graves, Brother Oswald, Deacon Brumfield and even as far back as Cliff Carlisle. And, as demonstrated on both of these discs, he's a more than capable vocalist.

With a clear, true voice that's well suited to bluegrass, Gallatin works her way through a variety of material on Phoenix, from Hank Williams ("Baby We're Really In Love") to lraditional fare like "The Waler Is Wide", as well as more contemporary material from the likes of David Mallett ("Somewhere In Time"), Tanya Savory ("40, 80 or 10") and Marie and Sheila Bums ("Dance Upon This Earth"). Stillwalers has been her band for the lasl several years, and in addition to Williams the vocal core of the current lineup is bassist John Urbanik, making for a nice trio sound.

Where Phoenix is the sort of spirited bluegrass that might be beard on stage at any of the hundreds of feslivals across tbe country, Something 'Bout You is more like what you'd hear if you slipped out the back door of the Ryman Auditorium to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, or any of the other smoky joints along Nashville's Broadway. Gallatin and Williams join up for duet turns on classic country songs of love and heartache ranging from Roy Acuffs "Tear Stained Letter'" to the Everlys' "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)", with stops along the way for Gene Autry ("Old Pal Of Yesterday"), Melba Montgomery ("Will There Ever Be Another") and more. The backup cast includes sterling harmony work by Kathy Chiavola, and it wouldn't be a "country" album without John Heinrich's pedal steel counterpoint to Williams' Dobro. Both of these albums are clearly and intelligently produced, and they are a lot of fun to listen to.

John Lupton