Reviews


Most recently received review from Folk on Tap (UK), Issue 71, Spring, 1997:

"Rick's rich voice and banjo playing conjures up vivid memories of Derrol 
Adams in this listener (which is no bad thing).  Towering over this 
exceptional collection is 'Natick,' his most famous song that's an 
elegant, bittersweet observation on the struggle of Boston's Indians who 
were forcibly removed from Natick and interned on Deer Island by the 
colonial government in 1675.  This CD is quite possibly the pick of 
Waterbug's quite delightful bunch!" -- Geoff Wall

A new review of "Natick" by Stavros Moschopoulos in
FAO CASA Gazette/ April, 1997 Issue /magazine of the United Nations 
Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy:

"Rick Lee - This guy looks like a ol' sailor from a whaling ship, plays the
banjo like the devil and unfolds mesmerizing stories in a crisp voice that
reminds you of Johnny Cash.  His CD, Natick, is full of traditional folk
stories that are involving, enchanting and humanly real (in an FAO-related
twist, his song "The Harvest" speaks of the personal effects of the drought...)

"A MAGNIFICENT CD from one of the few TRUE folk artists around who still
tell stories and make music that speaks to the heart."


US radio DJs sent these comments on "Natick" to Waterbug:

NJ	WTSR	Trenton		"Outstanding record - fresh sound with 
				that traditional base...This album is 
				in my top 10 for 1995 so far [8/14/95]" 
				- Peter Kernast

TX	KTEP	El Paso		"Rick is a God-send to folk purists and 
				music lovers alike." - Dan Alloway,
				Music Director

OR	KSOR	Ashland		"'Natick' is fantastic." - Keri Green

VA	WCWM	Williamsburg	"Greatest things that I have heard in YEARS!
				This guy is good."  -  Paul

PA	WITF	Harrisburg	"Terrific...will play often."

IL	WDCB	Carol Stream	"Hot stuff.

WA	KZAZ	Everett		"Perfect for our format."

NY	WQXR	New York City	"Some very attractive pieces here and 
				good performances."

SD	KAUR	Sioux Falls	"This is growing on me."

OH	WYSO	Yellow Spring	"Love it."

VT	WWPV	Colchester	"Very versatile. I liked it."

TX	KUBC	Midland		"Great.  My personal favorite."

IL	WNUR	Chicago		"I like how Rick draws on historic 
				sources for song content."

AK	KCHU	Valdez		"Great."


On the internet, in the June 21, 1995 Folk_Music Digest, Bob Franke 
wrote this generous note reviewing a pre-release copy of "Natick:"  

Rick Lee is living proof of the link between good songwriting and
traditional music. Rick's love and deep knowledge of traditional music
informs both his own songwriting and his choice of other contemporary
songs. There's only one Rick Lee original on the disc (the title song) and
one collaboration with Holly Gettings; "Natick" is the compelling story of
a local history of one man's idealism set against his people's penchant
for genocide, and "Strangers", the collaboration, explores the links
between personal alienation, lack of community, and homelessness.
Meanwhile, the strong imagery and /or storytelling value of other
contemporary and traditional songs here are a veritable primer of what
*works* in a song, whether traditional or contemporary, folk or country.
Writers represented include Chuck 
Hall, Andy and Lauren May, 
Jez Lowe, and Tommy Collins. There's lots of humor and lots of drama in
this release, all connected with a sense of timelessness: musically
there's everything from traditional banjo to spaced-out keyboard. 


A later review was written for the Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange
by Judith Gennett, Bryan, TX/KEOS Community Radio:

Rick Lee grew up right here in Texas and picked up banjo listening to the
Grand Ole Opry with his grandfather. He has performed traditional and folk
music for over 30 years, at times with Lorraine Lee or Solomon's Seal. The
town of Natick, Mass. is his current home and provides the title track for
this recording. Written by Lee, "Natick" is the story of an Indian tribe,
and of the hybrid language invented to communicate with, as well as,
introduce Christianity to these "heathens." "Only their shadows remain."
This and other tracks on Natick are well- documented Lee favourites, and
range from originals by Andy May and Jez Lowe to Child Ballads. It is on
these latter, the traditional tunes, that Lee with his stern Seegeresque
voice and vibrant banjo really excel.

My favorites are "Lady Margaret (Child 73)" and "Tam Lin (Child 39)." One
can imagine Lee as a colonial bard, traveling the Appalachians with his
not-yet-invented banjo, relating stories of eerie romance and magic to
settlers. His interpretations of these fine old tunes are stark and clean
and fresh. "I dreamed that my hall was full of wild swine/My true love was
swimming in blood."  Lee also delivers a good version of Mickey
McConnell's "The Tinkerman's Daughter" (the story of a tinker woman bought
by an Irish farmer; in the end the farmer kills his own son), Jez Lowe's
"High Part of the Town" (cheerful comments on English poverty), and a
nicely primitive "The Prodigal Son" after "Dock" Boggs... this from the
American tradition.

Lee's companion on these "traditional" forays is his own banjo, with
perhaps a bit of percussion and it suits his voice well. He is joined on
the more contemporary tunes by Andy May on guitar and mandolin, Holly
Gettings on guitar and vocals, Joel Glassman on fiddle, and Ray Wassinger
on drums. Lee plays keyboards on some tracks, notably "The Tinkerman's
Daughter." The sound is crisp and clear; as usual, Waterbug has tinkered
little with the "natural" state.

Rick Lee nurtures each of the songs on "Natick" as if it were one of his
children. Each is carefully chosen and researched and arranged and sung;
it is the care that Lee puts into each piece of this recording that makes
it successful. He does have a talent for making those old stories come
alive...

This review is copywrited by Three Rivers Folklife Society, 1995.  It may
be reprinted with prior permission and attribution.


Joe DeRouen wrote this next review for 
Fast Folk Magazine:                

As the title track of Rick Lee's new album NATICK (from Waterbug)
explains, "Natick was a language, Natick is a town.  No one speaks the
language, all of them are gone..." 

Natick tells the sad story of the Native Americans displaced by the
English and eventually interred on Deer Island in Boston Harbour, where
they eventually died out, taking the Natick language with them.

Lee's song is at once sad and touching, a history lesson that none of us
should ever forget.  His voice reverberates through the music as he
sings about the fate of the natives, emotionally charges and stirring. 

Not all of NATICK is as serious as the title song, but it's all just as
well done.  Lee's album is filled with traditional and contemporary
ballads, both Irish and American in origin.  "The High Part of Town" is
a clever rhyming ballad about life in a small village in England.  It's
funny and entertaining, and the lyrics will stay with you long after
you've listened to it.

"The Tinkerman's Daughter" is the true jewel of Lee's album, a retelling
of an 11 verse poem about a farmer who steals a tinker's daughter and
what befalls him and all the players involved.  The song is truly epic,
bringing to mind classic Irish and Celtic tales and songs.  

Other highlights include a cover of Merle Haggard's "I Made the Prison
Band", the 17th century ballad "Lady Margaret", and "Strangers", a
touching juxtaposition of strangers exchanging points of view. 

"Tam Lin", the last song on the album, is probably my favorite.  It's
the story of Thomas the Rhymer and his encounter with the folk of
Faerie.  As Lee's liner notes explain, it's an excellent instruction on
how to rescue someone from enchantment.  Lee's rich, deep voice lends
itself particulary well to this song, making it stand out from all the
others on the album.

NATICK is a solid album, without even a single lacking track.  If you
enjoy traditional ballads and good acoustic discs, you'll want to add
this one to your collection.  

Copyright (c) 1995 by Joe DeRouen, Addison, Texas 


More recently, the following review appeared in:

Dirty Linen #66, October/November 1996, p. 83

reviewed by Tom Nelligan

Rick Lee "Natick" [Waterbug WBG0016 (1995)] 

Veteran traditional musician Rick Lee has been a familiar part of Boston's
old-time and Anglo-Celtic music communities since the 1960s, making a
series of records with his former wife Lorraine Lee and with the band
Solomon's Seal. 

This solo CD features Lee and friends in a set of ballads and story songs,
some traditional and some modern, connecting British Isles and Appalachian
sources and mixing in a couple of country songs, too. 

Lee has a weathered Yankee voice, sounding at times like a less polished
but more rootsy Dave Mallet, adding practiced accompaniment on frailed
banjo and electric piano. He's one of the rare performers who has
successfully adapted electric keyboards to this type of music. 

The title song is Lee's vivid ballad of his hometown's history, describing
the 17th century meeting of English settlers and the native Natick people.
Piano versions of the classic supernatural ballad "Tam Lin" and the
haunting Irish tale of "The Tinkerman's Daughter" are other highlights. 

please send e-mail to 
ricklee@pobox.com

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