(Universal South) Over the past decade, 'tribute' albums have become a dime a dozen, often uneven and gimmicky, many with dubious intent, thus rendering their original overall intent meaningless. However, every so often these days, a worthy one does find it's way into the marketplace. Livin', Lovin'', Losin' rates as one of the worthy ones, and one that's been long overdue considering the influence the Louvin Brothers and their music has had over the years on a broad range of musical artists.

While country music has had a long tradition of brother duet singing acts, The Louvin Brothers have long been regarded as the best and most influential duo, with their amazing harmonies that often soared to stratospheric heights. Charlie and Ira Loudermilk grew up poor on an Alabama farm. Ira possessed an ethereal tenor and mastered the mandolin, Charlie covered the lower vocal register and picked the guitar. They changed their name from Loudermilk to Louvin, which they thought would be easier to pronounce, and began recording in the late '40s. They didn't start achieving commercial success until 1952, with their biggest hits coming between 1955 and their break-up in 1962. In these early days of rock & roll and in the midst of the honky tonk and country pop of the 50s, the Louvins' high lonesome sound, punctuated by Ira's masterful mandolin solos, was defiantly closer to the music of the 30s- so much so, that their first three Top-10 songs didn't even include drums. Theirs was a mix of gospel and secular country music. By the late 50s the changing market and Ira's erratic behavior led to a downturn in their commercial success, and in 1963 the personal tensions between the brothers led to their break up. Ira went on to record one solo album before his tragic death in a car accident in 1965. Charlie embarked on his own solo career, becoming a fixture on the Opry in the 70s & 80s, and still pursues an active career.

In the late 60s, the late Gram Parsons resurrected and introduced the music of the Louvin Brothers into the rock world with his then-duet partner, Emmylou Harris. Emmylou carried on the torch, and over the years has covered several Louvin songs as a solo artist, including her first Top-10 country hit in 1975, a cover of “If I Could Only Win Your Love.”  The music of the Louvins went on to influence many in the rock and alt-country world, including cow-punk band Rank & File and most recently, last year Charlie went out on tour with the rock groups Cake and Cheap Trick.

Livin' Lovin Losin' was the brainchild of Ira's daughter, songwriter Kathy Louvin. She approached singer/writer/producer Carl Jackson and asked if he'd be interested in doing the project. He agreed and the gears for this labor of love were put in motion. 30 artists, that include both veterans and newcomers, were lined up for the project and paired off on each of the discs 16 tracks.

The material chosen ranges from some of the Louvins' biggest hits to some of their more obscure songs and covers their diverse styles. Honky tonkers include the uptempo "I Can't Keep You In Love With Me" (Vince Gill/Terri Clark), and the lovely honky tonk piano driven "My Baby's Gone" (Emmylou Harris/Rodney Crowell). Tales of mournful regret are told in "How's The World Treating You" (James Taylor/Alison Krauss), "If I Could Only Win Your Love" (Ronnie Dunn/Rebecca Lynn Howard), and "You're Running Wild" (Larry Cordle/Carl Jackson /Jerry Salley). Heartache waltzes are represented with "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face" (Merle Haggard/Carl Jackson), "When I Stop Dreaming" (Glen Campbell/Leslie Satcher), and "New Partner Waltz" (Linda Ronstadt/Carl Jackson). A glimpse of The Louvins' bluegrass side is offered up with the spirited "Cash On The Barrelhead" (Joe Nichols/Rhonda Vincent), "I Wish You Knew" (Kathy Louvin/Pamela Brown Hayes), "Are You Teasing Me" (Patty Loveless/Jon Randall), and "I Don't Believe You Met My Baby" (Harley Allen/Dierks Bentley). Lastly, The Louvins' gospel songs are covered with the bluegrass inflected "The Angels Rejoice" (Dolly Parton/Sonya Isaacs), "Let Us Travel, Travel On" (Marty Stuart/Del McCoury) and the inspirational "Keep Your Eyes On Jesus" (Pam Tillis /The Jordanaires with Johnny Cash reading the spoken Bible verse).

The pairing off of artists on their respective cuts works particularly well, as each duet/harmony partner compliments each other beautifully. The arrangements stay faithful and firmly planted in tradition, and some of the songs even take on a somewhat playful tone when done between male/female counterparts. Livin' Lovin Losin is a terrific disc of duets that truly honors the influence of the incomparable Louvin Brothers, and proves once again, the beauty and timelessness of their music. Hopefully this disc will do what true tribute albums are meant to do- spark an interest in yet another generation of music fans who will be inspired to seek out the original music, which in this case, is that of The Louvin Brothers.            

Standout Tracks:  "Cash On The Barrelhead," "My Baby's Gone," "How's The World Treating You," "I Can't Keep You In Love With Me," "Must You Throw Dirt In My Face," "I Wish You Knew," "Are You Teasing Me," "You're Running Wild," "Let Us Travel, Travel On"

The Last Word:  Stands on it's own as a disc of extremely well performed classic country music, and recommended as an introduction to those unfamiliar with the timeless music of one of country music's most treasured and influential duos, The Louvin Brothers. 

On The Net:  www.thelouvinbrothers.com

                     www.universal-south.com

                     www.amazon.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack January 2004