Flower From the Fields of Alabama by Norman Blake, released in 2001, draws on the Georgia guitarist's lifelong engagement with the music of the Deep South — not just bluegrass and old-time but the older ballad and gospel traditions that predate any genre category. Blake, whose flat-top guitar work has been a touchstone for acoustic players since his appearance on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken in 1972, plays here with the relaxed authority of a musician who has nothing left to prove. The Alabama material — fiddle tunes, work songs, shape-note hymns — is handled with the same respect for source and context that characterizes all of Blake's best work. His wife Nancy Blake's contributions on cello and vocals anchor the ensemble's sound.
Tracklist
- 1 Salty Dog alt version 4:21
- 2 Bonaparte's Grand March 5:20
- 3 The Slopes Of Beech Mountain 3:11
- 4 Sitting on Top of the World alt version 2:39
- 5 Radio Joe 3:57
- 6 Chasin' Rainbows 3:34
- 7 Flower From The Fields Of Alabama 4:07
- 8 Texas Gales alt version 3:39
- 9 All Go Hungry Hash House 3:49
- 10 So Tired 5:11
- 11 The Gambler's Dying Words 2:50
- 12 Little Bunch Of Roses 3:16
- 13 Eastbound Freight Train alt version 3:34
- 14 The Burial Of Wild Bill 3:24
- 15 T.A.G. Railroad Rag 6:10
- 16 If We Never Meet Again (This Side of Heaven) alt version 5:19
