The Morning Glory Ramblers presents Norman and Nancy Blake working in the old-time and early-country idioms that have defined Norman's long catalog since the 1970s. The arrangements draw on the husband-and-wife duet format that has been one of American vernacular music's most enduring small ensembles, with Norman's flatpicked guitar — its tone instantly recognizable from decades of solo and session work — anchoring the sound, and Nancy's cello and harmony singing rounding the texture. The repertoire reaches deep into the prewar country and folk catalog, the territory Norman has spent his career curating with scholarly attention. The Blakes' approach has always favored fidelity to source over interpretation, the songs presented in arrangements that could plausibly have been recorded in the 1920s or 1930s. Released on their own label, the album is one entry in a long, quiet body of work that has done as much as any single project to keep that material in circulation.
Tracklist
- 1 The Sunny Side of Life 3:20
- 2 Dark & Stormy Weather 3:42
- 3 Precious Memories alt version 2:49
- 4 The Little Log Hut in the Lane 2:35
- 5 All the Good Times Are Over 4:35
- 6 We Are Climbing 4:00
- 7 Going Down the Valley 3:42
- 8 I Loved You Better Than You Knew 3:15
- 9 When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland 4:27
- 10 I Ain’t Got Time alt version 3:09
- 11 The Wayworn Traveler alt version 4:24
- 12 Rise When the Rooster Crows 3:08
- 13 Short Life of Trouble alt version 5:12
- 14 Elijah's God 2:51
- 15 Fame Apart from God's Approval (Sweeping Through the Gate) 4:15
- 16 Dry Bones 3:35
- 17 Men with Broken Hearts 3:22