Ramona Jones Family & Friends

The Homeplace

(Self-Released HP-10100) 51:27

The Homeplace, a lovingly performed and assembled album dedicated to the memory of Grandpa Jones, brings many of his family together with friends to revel in the spirit of old time and country music.

While one of Grandpa’s signature numbers, “Eight More Miles To Louisville,” is included, this album stands on its own as a dynamic testament to the power of acoustic music.  From the sharp fiddle opening of  “Whiskey Before Breakfast” the listener is assured of a comfortable ride through the land of acoustiblue music.

Ramona Jones requires little introduction to those who followed her career as Grandpa Jones’s underrated fiddle and mandolin accompanist. Ramona and Grandpa’s daughter, Alisa Jones Wall sings and plays hammered dulcimer while their son, Mark Jones, is a very strong banjo player who brings a touch of Grandpa’s style to these renditions. Alisa’s husband Ron Wall handles the autoharp (most prominently on his composition “Ozark Hills”).  The McLain Family’s Ruth McLain Smith plays the standup acoustic bass and Greg Davis plays all the guitar parts.  Multi-instrumentalist Larry Sledge is featured on mandolin throughout, as is Ramona.

The female vocal numbers, such as “Who Will Watch the Homeplace” (Alisa lead with Ramona and Ron harmonizing) and “Storms Are On the Ocean” (Ruth lead, Ramona harmony) are sweetly sung without a hint of false sentimentality.  Stellar harmonization is a hallmark of this release.

Truly a group project as Ramona’s fiddle, while prominent, does not dominate at the expense of others; the autoharp rings through on most tracks and the mando is prominently featured, notably on the instrumentals  “John Hardy” and “Snow Shoes.”

The album’s producer, David Ferguson, has created a rich tapestry of acoustic sounds allowing each instrumentalist to confidently take breaks without the resulting muddle of sounds that may result from such a wide range of instruments being included.  This is most obvious on the instrumental medley “Old Folks At Home/Back Up And Push.”

If one were to make any criticism, it would be the lack of information included with the disc. As the album comes with skimpy liner notes (no song authorship, publishing information, or running times), one isn’t sure who is singing or playing on specific tracks. 

Fans of Ramona Jones and old time porch music will be more than pleased with The Homeplace.  A finer collection of fresh interpretations of standards, that maintain the integrity of the songs, is difficult to imagine.  (Contact: Alisa Jones Wall PO Box 606 Ridgetop, TN 37152) (DT)