Name: Universal Favorite
Brand: Rounder
SKU: 136597673
Price: 9.94 USD
Availability: InStock

Universal Favorite

Rating

Album: Universal Favorite
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Waveland	More Info...	0:03
2)	Old Banjo	More Info...	0:03
3)	Sugar Maple	More Info...	0:04
4)	Folk Bloodbath	More Info...	0:06
5)	Hen of the Wounds	More Info...	0:03
6)	My Tears Don't Show	More Info...	0:02
7)	The Great Falls	More Info...	0:03
8)	Moretown Hop	More Info...	0:04
9)	Sweet Sunny South	More Info...	0:04
10)	Redbud	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bye	More Info...	0:01
12)	I've Been a Long Time Leavin' (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone)	More Info...	0:02

Album: Universal Favorite
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Waveland	More Info...	0:03
2)	Old Banjo	More Info...	0:03
3)	Sugar Maple	More Info...	0:04
4)	Folk Bloodbath	More Info...	0:06
5)	Hen of the Wounds	More Info...	0:03
6)	My Tears Don't Show	More Info...	0:02
7)	The Great Falls	More Info...	0:03
8)	Moretown Hop	More Info...	0:04
9)	Sweet Sunny South	More Info...	0:04
10)	Redbud	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bye	More Info...	0:01
12)	I've Been a Long Time Leavin' (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone)	More Info...	0:02

Performer Notes

Audio Mixers: Dave Sinko; Gabe Witcher; Noam Pikelny.
Recording information: The Sound Emporium, Studio B, Nashville, Tn.
Photographer: Justin Camerer.
The virtuosic Punch Brothers and ex-Leftover Salmon banjo player's Rounder Records' debut, and fourth proper solo outing, Universal Favorite sees Noam Pikelny playing the role of one-man band on a set that covers everything from country and bluegrass to jazz and classical. Recorded live in the studio and comprised of seven solo instrumentals and five songs with vocals -- a first for Pikelny -- the 12-track set is as organic as they come. "Waveland" opens the proceedings with a delicate wash of elliptical, classical-tinged plucking that evokes the Punch Brothers' more regal moments, while the traditional "Old Banjo" serves as a fine introduction to Pikelny's uneven, but immensely likeable baritone, which shares some of the earthy resonance of Jake Xerxes Fussel. Pikelny proves himself to be as deft a guitar player as he is a peerless banjoist on a cover of Carl Butler's "My Tears Don't Show," but it's his trusty five-string that delivers Universal Favorite's best moments. The three-part closing act, which includes a pair of disparate but wildly inventive instrumentals, and ends with a homey and spirited rendition of Roger Miller's "I've Been a Long Time Leavin' (But I'll Be a Long Time Gone)," perfectly encapsulates the album's simple, rough-hewn charm. ~ James Christopher Monger