Fair Weather cover

Fair Weather

Alison Brown

Album · 2000 · Compass 7 4292-2

Fair Weather (Compass 7 4292-2) was released on 9 May 2000 on Compass Records, the label Alison Brown started with her husband, the bassist Garry West. West produced the album. Brown plays banjo on every track, and eight of the twelve tracks are instrumentals, all of them her own compositions. The guest list is long: Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Tony Rice, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, David Grier, Matt Flinner and Tim O’Brien each play on one or more tracks, with Todd Phillips on bass through most of the album.

The four vocal tracks each have a different singer. Vince Gill sings the title song, written by Robert Steward and Steve Libbea, with Stuart Duncan and Gene Libbea joining on vocals. Sam Bush takes the lead on Elvis Costello’s “Everyday I Write the Book,” Tim O’Brien sings Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’,” and Claire Lynch sings lead on Boo Hewerdine’s “Hummingbird,” with O’Brien on harmony.

“Leaving Cottondale,” a Brown composition on which she and Béla Fleck both play banjo, won the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, in 2001.

Tracklist

  1. 1 Late On Arrival 2:33
  2. 2 Fair Weather 3:07
  3. 3 Poe's Pickin' Party 3:46
  4. 4 Everyday I Write The Book 3:30
  5. 5 The Devil Went Down To Berkeley 4:24
  6. 6 Hummingbird Source Recording Boo Hewerdine · key A · 109 bpm 3:58
  7. 7 Girl's Breakdown 3:44
  8. 8 Everybody’s Talkin’ alt version 3:15
  9. 9 Deep Gap 3:55
  10. 10 Shake and Howdy 3:14
  11. 11 Leaving Cottondale 3:22
  12. 12 Sweet Thing 1:42

Share Playlist