Reviews of Granddad’s Favorite
What a fascinating collection of songs and tunes! And their presentation is so entertaining, done comfortably yet masterfully by this couple. These tracks are either entirely authentic renditions of several genres of North American traditional music, or Nadine and Sammy are master magicians. They suckered me in, that’s for sure. Nadine’s piercing country voice is perfect for every style she sings here. I believe in her when she’s a 19th Century swamp girl singing cajun songs, I believe in her when she charms me with her playful classic country songs. And Sammy, it doesn’t matter which instrument he plays here, I get goosebumps with each tune. Sammy defined the Portland fiddle sound twelve or fourteen years ago. He’s a rocker who has not just a deep respect for music traditions, but he masters the old music styles that have captured him. Sammy becomes one of the old guys, he’s not an interpreter. It’s going to be quite a while before this album is matched.
– Bill Martin, Bubbaville, Portland, OR
Nadine and Sammy cover a lot of musical territory, from Cajun to early country to traditional old time: (…) it all works. With Nadinestraight-forward, solid guitar back up and Sammy’s fine fiddling and banjo playing, they manage to find accompaniment to the variety of songs that makes sense gives them all a timeless quality. Nadine holds down much of the solo singing, and definitely joins the ranks of powerful, flat-out, nail-you-to-the-wall women singers. When the two sing together they have that particular strong blend that a softer, lower-range voice (Sammy’s) often gets when paired with a laser-like, higher-range voice (Nadine’s). There’s nothing contrived or unnecessary about their singing and playing, just real good stuff. Nicely recorded by Joel Savoy in Eunice, Louisiana, it feels very natural with a minimum of recording hoopla – very relaxed and at-home. Singers and players both will appreciate and enjoy this CD. I myself love it.
– Alice Gerrard, Old Time Herald