Not his bestNovember 6, 2009 Joe Leggett(Stoned Mountain, Ga) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Disappointing if you have the rest of his CDs, like me. It's not awful, but doesn't match up to his other output. Interesting to hear earlier versions of a couple tunes. Sound quality uneven as you would expect.
Very raw albumFebruary 21, 2009 UT(San Antonio, TX) This was the first CK album I listened to and I was hooked the first time. I can relate to a lot of his lyrics and it seems that he puts all of his emotions into the songs.
If you have never heard CK before or you aren't sure if you should get this album, just go for it. You definitely won't regret this one.
A Fred Eaglesmith cloneSeptember 8, 2008 J. Babbitt(Chetek WI USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The songs are low on production values but make up for it with great music and spectacular lyrics. I am a big Fred Eaglesmith and, frankly, I could've been fooled into believing this was a "lost now found" Fred cd.
Well worth owning.
Chris Knight at his bestSeptember 7, 2008 Ross M. Robertson This album is almost as good as Chris' first self-titled CD. You all just don't know what you're missing.
Rusty PistolAugust 31, 2008 Lee Armstrong(Winterville, NC United States) Chris Knight's "The Trailer Tapes" have been released on his Drifter's Church label. Recorded in 1996, this is a stark recording of man and guitar. The absence of a band lays the songs bare, beautiful for their simplicity & Knight's unadorned sincerity. "My Only Prayer" that concludes the set is a lovely diamond, "I'm a country boy; I'm out of place, turned city bum; A good day to me is getting by. I walk the city mile without ever seeing the sun; There's no need to reach the stars when you can't see the sky." The opener "Backwater Blues" is also a treasure with Knight's plaintive vocals, "Put up your bags & get away from the door; Put up that rusty pistol, baby, I ain't mad anymore; If you leave me now & head for higher ground, baby this river of blue black water's going to take me down." "Something Changed" appeared on Chris' breathtaking 1998 self-titled debut CD on Decca Records Chris Knight, "She believed in blue skies; I only brought her rain; It ain't so strange that something changed." Also from the same album, we hear this acoustic version of "House and 90 Acres" that laments the bank foreclosing on family farms, "I've got a house & 90 acres, some cattle in the barn, 2 kids with no mama, she left in a salesman's arms, a sign by the mailbox says there's an auction in the yard, Born & raised has been damned easy, but lately living's hard." The song shines in this acoustic version. "If I Were You" that appeared on Chris' CD A Pretty Good Guy also shines in this acoustic version, "If I were you, I wouldn't be out on these streets the whole night through; Yeah, I'd have a job & a pretty wife that I could come home to, but I don't. I have 20 cents left to my name & you're the only one left here that I have to blame." Other songs like "Spike Drivin' Blues" and "Move On" are gratefully seeing the light of day. These first recordings of Chris Knight are exquisitely beautiful. Bravo!
