Released September 30, 2003 Release date 30 September 2003 Label Universal South | Length 47:15 Producer Carl Jackson | |
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Genres Country music, Gospel music Awards Grammy Award for Best Country Album Similar Ira and Charlie, Mark Twain: Words, My Baby's Gone, Forget About It, The Family Who Prays | ||
Livin lovin losin cash on the barrelhead
Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers is a tribute album to the music of The Louvin Brothers, released in 2003.
Contents
The Louvin Brothers were an American country music duo composed of brothers Ira Louvin and Charlie Louvin. They helped popularize close harmony, a genre of country music. Their partnership ended in 1963 with Charlie continuing a long and successful career as a solo artist. Ira died in an automobile accident in 1965 and Charlie died in 2011 from pancreatic cancer.
History
Ira Louvin's daughter, Kathy Louvin, approached producer Carl Jackson with the idea of a Louvin Brothers tribute album. Jackson then enlisted the various artists who performed on the tracks. The project was kept a secret from Charlie, the surviving Louvin Brother, until he accidentally heard about it and later became involved in the sessions.
Guest vocalists include Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and many others.
The recitation on "Keep Your Eyes on Jesus" was one of the last sessions Cash did before his death.
Reception
At the Grammy Awards of 2004, Livin', Lovin', Losin' won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and James Taylor and Alison Krauss won the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for their duet on "How's the World Treating You". In 2004, it won the International Bluegrass Music Association Award for the Recorded Event of the Year.
While applauding individual performances in his Allmusic review, Thom Jurek stated "[The Louvins] were successful during their era, the 1950s and early '60s, for a reason: they offered a view of life, love, loss, and the ever-present and eerie power of a God just beyond the pale with genuine wonder, fear, and pathos. Performed by superstars, legends, and others, most of the 16 tracks on Livin', Lovin', Losin' add nothing to the originals and, if anything, make somewhat generic what was special in its iconoclasm. The Louvins would not have a recording contract in this day and age, and any attempt by Carl Jackson to make them sound contemporary enough to be relevant in the stupid paranoid world of Nash Vegas country music circa 2003 is just ridiculous."
Conversely, Hank Kalet in his PopMatters review stated "The disc... [creates] a rarity of sorts: a fully fleshed out, perfectly executed tribute disc that captures the spirit of the recording artist it means to honor while also offering a collection of contemporary performances that are worth listening to on their own merit. The playing is flawless, the vocals inspired and the song selection a perfect glimpse into what made the Louvins one of the most influential acts in country history."
Track listing
All tracks written by Charlie Louvin and Ira Louvin unless otherwise noted.
Personnel
Production notes:
Songs
Cash on the BarrelheadJoe Nichols - Rhonda Vincent3:20
My Baby's GoneEmmylou Harris - Rodney Crowell3:33
How's the World Treating YouJames Taylor - Alison Krauss3:22