Lou Reid and Carolina

Lou Reid has been at it a long time. His standards are high. He collects the best material and sings it as only he can. Carolina is a quartet that includes Lou on vocals and mandolin, Christy Reid on bass and vocals, Kevin Richardson on guitar and vocals, and Trevor Watson on banjo and vocals. They are augmented by an all star cast that includes producer Ron Stewart, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Randy Kohrs, and Jerry Douglas among others. The level of musicianship is superb.
The songs come from some of the best songwriters in bluegrass, and any other genre for that matter. They include Mark Brinkman, Paul Craft, and Shawn Camp. So all of the pieces are here for a great recording. The result is what you might expect, a near perfect recording full of great singing and picking. Extensive care was taken to produce a great recording. The standout track here is the title cut. It is an insightful re-evaluation of life. "My Whole World in His Hands" is not just overwhelmingly schmaltzy, it has a great play on words, a sign that this is great country music (read Americana), not just bluegrass. It documents the suddenness of a child's life in a parent's mind.
The songs are the focus here. The lyrics are printed on the foldout card. Each song is treated as a singular vignette. Each one is cast with its own characters, plot and ambience. This recording should please all of Lou's fans.
- January 2006

Lou Reid burst onto the bluegrass scene many years ago as an original member of Doyle Lawson’s Quicksilver. Many years later his voice sounds very much the same as it did then – strong and engaging. Lou has played banjo, guitar, bass, and fiddle with some of the biggest bands in the business over the years, and now plays some punchy mandolin and guitar on this project with his own band. He really can do it all.

Lou’s band Carolina (with Kevin Richardson on guitar, Trevor Watson on banjo, and Joe Hannabach, Jr. on bass) settles into a good driving North Carolina groove on these tunes. With instrumental guests like Jerry Douglas, Ron Stewart, and Randy Kohrs, the music is solid and tasty. Lou’s wife Christy and Richardson provide much of the right-on vocal harmony, along with capable guests including Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill.

Lou has rustled up a whole CD of good new songs from a handful of songwriters. “My Dying Day” opens the CD on a strong note, and John Cadley’s “Time” (with Gill and Skaggs on harmonies) will likely get a lot of airplay. I also really like the closer, “Out of Here”, a leaving song that tells it like it is. These tunes are not really breaking any new ground, but the familiar themes resonate and the singing and playing is tastefully done.

Lou has a winner here.
- Album Review

Dennis Jones
Top 10 Releases for 2005
1. James McMurtry - Childish Things
2. Wildfire - Rattle of the Chains
3. Alvin Youngblood Hart - Motivational Speaker
4. Blue Highway - Marbletown
5. Julian Fauth - Songs of Vice and Sorrow
6. Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon - Sixty-Six Steps
7. Neil Young - Prairie Wind
8. John Doyle - Wayward Son
9. Mike Strauss- How In The World?
10. Lou Reid and Carolina - Time Dennis Jones
Top Bluegrass 10 Releases for 2005
1. Wildfire-Rattle Of The Chains
2. Blue Huighway- Marbletown
3. Ronnie Bowman- It's Getting Better All The Time
4. Lou Reid and Carolina - Time
5. Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver - You've Gotta Dig
6. Blue Moon Rising - On The Rise
7. Kenny and Amanda Smith- Always Never Enough
8. Steep Canyon Ranger - One Dime At A Time
9. Darrell Webb - Behind The Scene
10. Haley and The Boys - It's All Good
- Staff Picks

Lou Reid and Carolina
Time
Lonesome Day Records

Lou Reid has the misfortune of having a name that is almost the same as another fine musician. But unlike cynical Mr. "Walk on the Wild Side," this Lou Reid creates hauntingly beautiful bluegrass music. Lou Reid's lyrical voice and heartfelt vocal delivery renders each song on Time into a perfect musical gem. My favorites include his versions of Shawn Camps "Forever Ain't No Trouble Now," and Buck Owens' "Heart of Glass." Reid's fine band, Carolina, needs no assistance, but on Time cameo performances by Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill, Ron Stewart, Randy Kohrs, and Jerry Douglas, testify to Reid's stature in the bluegrass world. Time certainly deserves both your time and your money.
- January Issue Album Review

Lou Reid sings about livin’ the mountain way, but he also clearly shows how
to play the mountain way too. With a fresh body of bluegrass material from
excellent songwriters, Reid and Carolina show us why they’re a notch above
the rest of the pack. On “Time,” he puts added emphasis on beautiful,
life-affirming tales, courtesy of such songsmiths as Mike Evans, David
Carroll, John Cadley, Shawn Camp, Mark Brinkman, Teddy Cosby, and others. A
song like Ray Edwards/Terry Foust’s “Carolina Morning Memory” captures much
of the feeling and reason for the band’s name in the first place. Carolina
moon, Carolina rain, Carolina morning, and Carolina memories are all
embodiments of this band’s bluegrass. Reid’s voice, as fine and steady as
always, is centerstage most of the time, but Christy Reid and Kevin
Richardson also get a chance to shine with some lead vocals on “Before Your
First Tear Hits the Ground” and “Forever Ain’t No Trouble Now,”
respectively. With a bit more tempo and some twin fiddles in a piece like
“Forever Ain’t No Trouble Now,” Lou Reid and Carolina’s music would hit me
in the gut with an impact like the first time I heard Bill Monroe’s. An
uptempo song like “Tennessee Backroads” would have a little more bluegrass
gusto by simply bringing the instrumental breaks, especially guitar and
mandolin, front and center into our speakers. Their clean breaks deserve to
be heard loudly, crisply and clearly.

Lou was born on a North Carolina tobacco farm and grew up around music. His
impressive bluegrass experience includes stints with Doyle Lawson and
Quicksilver, Ricky Skaggs, Seldom Scene, and Longview. Also from North
Carolina, Christy Reid’s grandfather was a fiddle champion at the first
Union Grove Fiddler's Convention, and her cousin (Kent Dowell) played with
the Country Gentlemen.. Her previous bands have included Grass Vibrations,
220 Connection, and Southern Drive (a 2000 International Pizza Hut Showdown
winner). Christy and Lou married in Florida on 04/12/04. Banjo-player
Trevor Watson contributes a hard-driving style to the Carolina sound. His
mother and father both played bluegrass, and Trevor was picking by age
eight. Trevor won first place in the “bluegrass banjo” contest at the Galax
Old-time Fiddler's Convention. His former bands include Blue Night, Foxfire
Unlimited (Bluegrass Band contest winners at the 1988 Galax Fiddlers’
Convention), and with the cast of The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach.
Guitarist Kevin Richardson has been playing since age 5. He’s won many
ribbons in Fiddler's Competitions across the Southeast. Last but not least,
Joe Hannabach plays bass for Carolina. As a band, Carolina received the
“Emerging Artist of the Year” Award at IBMA’s 1994 World of Bluegrass Awards
in Owensboro, KY.

On “Time,” instrumental guests include Jerry Douglas, Ron Stewart, and Randy
Kohrs. Some vocal guests include Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill on the title
cut, along with Harold Nixon on acoustic bass. A Buck Owens/Red Simpson
song, “Heart of Glass” also includes James Mitchell’s high strung guitar and
Chris Wood’s snare drum in the mix. The credits say it’s also known as a
“slap guitar” for the bluegrass purists. The songs give us imagery with
plenty of comforting warmth. The band’s contemporary bluegrass has tender
sentiments, lilting melodies, and gentle rhythms. (Joe Ross)

- Review of "Time"

Just wanted to give my review of the Lou Reid and Carolina show I seen last weekend. Wow! What a performance. Lou was in usual form singing soulful ballads that would dazzle any crowd, and yet blowing the roof off with tunes like "Ain't it Funny", Blue Heartache", "I Call Your Name" among many others. Christy is now on bass providing a rock solid foundation, and Trevor Watson blew my mind on the 5. He is definetely a force to be reckoned with, and same goes for Kevin Richardson on the guitar, picking both some of the best rhythm I've heard, and very comparable to a Rice/Bennett style picking, while adding his own twist. Very Tasteful!! The harmonies were excellent, and they even demonstrated the vocal skill on a few gospel tunes such as "Lord Have Mercy on My Soul" and "Wrath of God". Awesome performance overall from one of my musical heros. I drove 2 hours and only paid $12.00 for two 45 min sets, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Their new CD "Time" is climbing the charts, and I highly suggest it for your collection. Lou Reid and Carolina is a class act, and a must see!! Check em out when you can. Take care, my friends.

DLQ Fan - Michigan Show Review from fan

I am a bluegrass performer and promoter. My band, Open Highway, puts on an annual show the 3rd Saturday in January in Columbus, Ohio that has ran for 6 years. We have had several bands work for us including, Nothin’ Fancy, Karl Shifflet, Larry Sparks, Dean Osborne and many others. Lou and his group were real pleasant to deal with, we had great phone and e-mail communication. He was there on time (which is nice for the promoter) and they put on an excellent show. There was great crowd response and they had many requests. They even performed songs from back in the original Doyle Lawson era that the crowd wanted to hear. They were very polite to everyone. As a bluegrass fan and promoter, I enjoyed the show. They made the show a success and we look forward to working with them again. - Jim and Denise Duty-BG Promoters

Lou Reid's expressive tenor has graced many bands including the Seldom Scene and Quicksilver and his instrumental talents on bass, guitar and mandolin have made him an important member of Vince Gill's and Ricky Skaggs' bands in the past. Lou Reid's Carolina band lets him showcase that fabulous voice in a setting filled with choice songs and superb instrumentation. Carolina is Lou on guitar and mandolin, Christy Reid on vocals, Kevin Richardson on guitar and vocals, Trevor Watson on banjo and vocals and Joe Hannabach on bass. The songs mine the traditional bluegrass mother lode of themes: soldiers going to war, country folk going to the city and returning and the twists and turns of love. The title cut, "Time," written by John Cadley, has the sentimental wisdom of life: "when I was young I dreamed of how I'd spend my life, now that I'm older I spend my life in dreams." John also wrote the haunting "Mist of Memory," a tale of a Civil War soldier whose ghost returns to his home to watch over his family. "My Whole World in His Hands," is a Daddy's little girl is getting married song that Lou, as a father of two girls, sings with a heartfelt emotion that snags the listener. Kevin's guitar weaves melodic leads throughout the songs, and Lou's mandolin and Trevor's banjo add the pulse and flourishes that propel the songs. Randy Kohrs, Jerry Douglas add dobro and Ron Stewart guests on fiddle. With such a wealth of talent instrumentally, it's a shame that there were no instrumental numbers on the album - these guys can really pick. For bluegrass done with finesse and emotion, this band is tops!

- www.cbaontheweb.com

Lou Reid and Carolina- Time
A superb bluegrass album full of classy music and fine heartfelt singing. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this brilliant CD which is full of top class songs all put over really well with great singing and harmonies. Also there are the terrific musicians providing both supporting and complimentary music. These excellent tracks are my own particular favourites-Time, Before Your First Tear Hits The Ground, Heart of Glass, and My Whole World. I also enjoyed Brighter Shade of Blue, Tennessee Backroads, The Mountain Way, and Carolina Morning Memory. This is a very appealing album and I will air all tracks that I have mentioned. - Graham Hassall, UK Country Music Assoc.

Two Firsts for Lou Reid and Carolina

With his distinctive high tenor vocals and instrumental talents, Lou Reid is no stranger to bluegrass fans. During his career he has been a founding member of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and performed in Ricky Skaggs’ band. He has also performed with Bill Monroe, Keith Whitley and many more. He still performs dates with the Seldom Scene and the award-winning group Longview, but he also fronts his own band, Lou Reid and Carolina.

Their single Time has recently climbed to the #1 spot on Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Bluegrass Survey. Simultaneously the album by the same name reached #2. The single includes Lou Reid, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Harold Nixon, Ron Stewart and Randy Kohrs. Other guests on the album include Jerry Douglas, James Mitchell and Chris Wood.

I spoke with Lou and asked him what it was like to have a #1 hit, his first with his own band.

"Having a number one song is just a great feeling! Knowing that people liked the song enough to help take it up the chart this far almost leaves me speechless. Although I’ve been in the business a long time, this is all new to me. We can’t thank the fans and DJ’s enough for their support!"

Another first is also fast approaching for Lou and his band. While he has performed numerous times on the Grand Ole Opry as part of other bands, his own band will make a debut appearance on the Opry stage on Friday April 28th.

"Getting to play the Grand Ole Opry with Lou Reid and Carolina is going to be another wonderful experience. Although I’ve played the Opry many times before with the Ricky Skaggs Band, this time I will be a little more nervous performing on my own with Carolina. For me, it’s a bit easier to stand behind a big Artist like Ricky Skaggs in support of his sound, but to stand on my own two feet is a much different feeling. With band members Christy, Trevor, Kevin and I, playing the Opry is a dream come true! All this excitement is a humbling experience for us."

- Brance Gillihan