This is one of the most clever and well executed musical concept records I have ever heard. Funny - hysterical actually - and brilliantly performed. All (many) of the most popular Motown-style classics re-imagined as classic bluegrass stories. I can't listen to the originals anymore without thinking they missed something. It's not just that I like banjo or country music, my tastes are much wider than that. After many years in the recording business (no, I don't know anyone associated with the record) I can tell when I hear a first class production. Why this wasn't more popular is a mystery to me. Maybe it was and I just didn't hear about it. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a movie treatment starring "The Burns Brothers" [described on the record as a rare case of un-identical quadruplets], sitting like a buried treasure on some agent's desk in Nashville.

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Ryan F. Waltman

AMAZING ALBUM FOR BLUEGRASS FANS

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014

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Man, I love this album...it's a combo of both of RUN C&W's albums, so it's a great catalog. Bernie Leadon (formerly of the Eagles) is the banjo player and does a great, great job hybridizing scruggs style to fit on the old motown covers this band works with. The album is fun and upbeat, features some great musicality, and overall is just a great, great bluegrass recording. I highly recommend. I always try and expose family and friends to this music, it's a great entry point into bluegrass, but seriously...these guys can flat out play and sing...it's a shame the era when this was released they weren't more widely accepted, as they are incredible! Wish they still toured/played/recorded....BUY THIS ALBUM. NOW.

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Moria J.

Reimagining Motown

Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2007

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I was floored when I first heard Run C&W about 5 years ago. This is a group of not-well-known but very well-heard musicians...if you listen to country at all you've heard some of these guys. They call what they have done "playing that sweet soul music the way God intended it to be played... Bluegrass style," and while I have to admit I doubt the creators of this music ever envisioned it played this way, it is extremely musically sound, and surprisingly true to the music. Check out the track listing, but keep in mind that you probably will not be able to predict how these songs are arranged, no matter which side of the Mason-Dixon you come from.

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Jim Lakes

Love this

Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2020

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I love the music

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James D Henry

They're Number One!

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2017

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To my knowledge, the only C&W soul band in the world. They're Number One!

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Heavygrass

The classic recordings are back

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2010

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I am thrilled this double disc got released. The singing and musicianship on these recordings is phenomenal. The jokes may wear a tad thin but the songs, all R&B standards are done right and are really soulful. It may seem a bit dated to the 90s but if you like soul music and bluegrass GET IT NOW..

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Donald E. Gilliland

Singer from Amazing Rhythm Aces

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017

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I missed hearing the two albums that comprise this reissue when they first came out, so I was eager to catch up and hear what all the excitement was about. For me, the biggest draw was the fact that the lead singer on these songs was Russell Smith, the talented vocalist from the Amazing Rhythm Aces, one of the greatest and most underrated bands of the 1970s and early '80s.

As you can tell from the other reviews, the basic premise of Run C&W was to take old Motown, Stax and other soul classics and give them a bluegrass treatment. This seemingly odd idea results in a very fun collection of songs. Some songs are perhaps a bit too on the corny side (the parody/cover of "Achy Breaky Heart", retitled as "Itchy Twitchy Spot" is one I can do without), but most of these tunes are just sheer fun. And it doesn't hurt that Smith and co-founder Bernie Leadon (he of Eagles fame) have teamed up with some talented musicians who can pick up a storm.

Whether you are a bluegrass fan, a lover of classic soul, or one who remembers and appreciates that pleasing voice of Russell Smith (described in the liner notes as "a singer who had a uniquely soulful approach to country-rock"), this is an engaging collection of songs that will make you smile!

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CassimaPwns

Hilarious and memorable.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2013

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I used to listen to these guys all the time growing up... I was THRILLED to find a CD with the Roe vs. Wade and Into the Twangy-First Century. A MUST HAVE for any bluegrass fan.

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Alfonso Monllor

MUSICA NEGRA PASADA POR EL "COUNTRY"

Reviewed in Spain on September 17, 2015

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Una gozada de grabación. Dos álbumes fundidos en uno, lleno de versiones de clásicos que todos conocemos pero con un sonido como no podíamos imaginar. Por favor, perded los perjuicios hacia el "country" (blue-grass en este caso) y disfrutar de este disco estupendo.

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Dicky

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2014

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Interesting

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