Lilly of the West - Swings and Heartaches Vol. 2

  by Zena Grieg

published: 12 / 4 / 2022

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Review

The Bulgarian bluegrass group Lilly of the West, formed in Sofia in 1996, and founded and led by folk and bluegrass singer-songwriter Lilly Drumeva-O’Reilly, have released their twelfth album, a follow-up to their 2012 ‘Swings & Heartaches’, which celebrated the swing music of the 30s and 40s. Voted ‘Best country and bluegrass band of Europe’ in 1998, their new collection, a vibrant mix of original renditions of pop, blues and classic country classics, reflects the band’s musical evolution through bluegrass, country, jazz, swing, pop and Bulgarian folk. Highlights of the ten-track album include: the opener ‘Seven Lonely Days’, a 1953 hit for Georgia Gibbs, Bonnie Lou and later Patsy Cline, now presented in a rootsy version with innovative acoustic guitars and dobro; a jocular, swinging rendition of Hank Williams’s ‘I’m Satisfied With You’; classic country heartache song ‘Rock Salt And Nails’; the rock and roll song, made famous originally by Charlie Pride; ‘Mountain of Love’; a harmonically adventurous, jazz-infused translation of ‘After You’ve Gone’; the minimalist, plaintive pop of ‘Dream A Little Dream Of Me’; and the closer, the sultry tribute to the South ‘Miss The Mississippi And You’. Eclectic, quirky, ‘Swings & Heartaches Vol 2’ should attract new audiences to this accomplished, talented band.

Track Listing:-

1 Seven Lonely Days
2 Blues for Dixie
3 I’m Satisfied with You
4 Rocks, Salt & Nails
5 Mountain of Love
6 After You’ve Gone
7 Blue Skies
8 Dream a Little Dream of Me
9 Kansas City
10 Miss the Mississippi and You

Band Links:-

http://lillydrumeva.net
https://www.facebook.com/lillyofthewes

Play in YouTube:-

Have a Listen:-