Nathan & Ralph Stanley - Where Will You Go

(III Generation Records TGR-NS003) 2008

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This Gospel collaboration features Nathan much more prominently than 2007's He Suffered For My Reward, with Nathan singing lead on eleven of the sixteen tracks. He also shares lead with Ralph on four more:- Leaning On Jesus, Over In The Gloryland, I Saw The Light and When Jesus Beckons Me... that leaves just Gloryland with Ralph on lead.

This version of Gloryland, is done at quite a slow pace and has some nice vocal harmonies by Judy and Dan Marshall. The same recording later also appeared on the Dr Ralph Stanley & Nathan Stanley - Gospel Favorites CD-R.

The booklet has small quotes in support/praise of 15 year old Nathan from George Shuffler, Jack Cooke, Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley, Judy Marshall, Dewey Brown, Pattly Loveless and Little Jimmy Dickens...

I have to admit I'm not really a fan of Nathan's smooth vocal style, and when Ralph does sing, his vocals are quite shaky and lacklustre too.

The title track, Where Will You Go written by Nathan is a pretty sanctimonious:-

"If you're on pain killers, or any kind of drug,
If you drink whiskey or liquor or even Bud Light...
If you smoke the bad stuff, I'll tell you right now
It won't get you to Heaven and you won't meet the Son."

Well, if there is any form of afterlife, I'd rather be in the company of Hank Williams, Carter Stanley, Jimmy Martin anyhow...

The album was produced by Nathan Stanley and Judy Marshall and recorded at Maggard Sound in Big Stone Gap, Va. From the disc and booklet artwork it looks like the CD was also manufactured by Maggard.

• Ralph Stanley: vocals
• Nathan Stanley: vocals
• Junior Blankenship: lead guitar
• Dewey Brown: fiddle
• Jack Cooke: bass
• James Alan Shelton: lead guitar (*)
• Steve Sparkman: banjo
• Ralph II Stanley: guitar

NB: (*) On tracks 2, 6, 7, 9 and 12. Ralph II sings baritone on 5. Judy Marshall sings high baritone and tenor on 1, 4, 5. Dan Marshall sings bass and baritone and play harmonica on 4. Kristi Stanley sings tenor on 6, 8, and 16. Jack Cooke sings tenor on 14. Dewey Brown sings tenor on 10.

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