- Chris Collins has always been a mountain boy at heart. Raised in
the rolling hills
- of Wisconsin farmland, Chris’s love for the high country began
early with family
- trips to the Smokey Mountains and later to the great west
mountain ranges.
- You don’t have to listen closely to hear the effect that the
outdoors has had on him.
- Music became a serious part of Chris’s life when he learned to play guitar at
the
- age of seventeen. He played his way through college and all
the way to Colorado,
- where he had some close brushes with fame. He appeared on network
television
- shows in Milwaukee and Denver. After a fifteen year absence from music, Chris
- returned to the music scene in 2002 and was selected as one of the top ten
regional
- Singer/Songwriters at the 2002 Kerrville Folk Festival. The release of his first album,
- Alberta Skies, is a gift to all of those who have a passion for the
wilderness.
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Review from
mytexasmusic.com
I’m not always comfortable telling you
that an artist ‘sounds like’ another artist, or ‘looks like’ another artist,
but you’ll have to forgive me this time. Chris Collins is a big John Denver
fan and loves the outdoors, especially the mountains. Sounding familiar? I
remember seeing Chris for the first time at the Green Mountain Energy Folk
Music Festival in Houston and as he took the stage I noticed a slight
similarity to John Denver. The ever-present smile, the round wire-rim
glasses, the sandy brown bangs, and a certain stature just took me there.
Then Collins sang. While he’s not trying to be a Denver knock-off, he
possesses some of the same tonal qualities which made Denver famous. Enough
of the comparison, because that’s where it ends. Chris Collins has a rich
Texas-tuned voice that exudes comfort and trust as he spins songs about the
pleasantries of nature, beauty, family, and legend. This disc was expertly
produced by Collins with the recording tools of Haniel Trisna and 6 Tone
Productions. Now if you’ve been reading my reviews for years, you know that
I like it when 6 Tone sticks to rock music, but I must say this disc breaks
the stereotype. Whatever their level of involvement, it was just enough,
and under Chris’ guidance, this shapes up to be a fantastic disc. The award
nominating committee will look long and hard at this CD. Collins’ vocals
are superb, Jeff Duncan’s fiddle/violin work is perfect, and Wayne Wilkerson
turns in an award-worthy performance as well. The CD is “ALBERTA SKIES".
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Review from
Bill Reed, freelance music
critic
Like a breath of fresh country
air, Houston-based singer/songwriter Chris Collins brings his own unique
impressions of folk music forward into a recently released debut CD album,
Alberta Skies. From the very first track onward, his stylish
blending of old-school folk rudiments with Neo-John Denver vocal
arrangements is indeed reminiscent of the kind of acoustical genres
popularized during the sixties and early seventies. Throughout the album,
Collins combines various intricate, stationary-picking styles on guitar and
five-string banjo with vocally harmonious melodies that range from caressing
legatos to toe-tapping, syncopated belts of exuberance. His mosaic mix of
playing and singing ventures along a complete spectrum of musical mood—from
the light-hearted lilts of Wildflowers and the bluegrass strains of
Jack Daniels to the more moving and solemn meaningfulness involving
the cycle of generational responsibility explored in the ballad-styled
Daddy's Farm.
Beyond the mantras of
wilderness-territory yearnings exemplified in the opening title track, the
joyous The Rhythm—a favorite opener in his live stage acts and a
signature number of sorts—is definitely a "keeper" and one of his staple
tunes of hand-clapping motion. The thoroughly Denverish Cheyenne and
Mountain Rose are two of the best cuts on the album. The more
pop-contemporary Synchronicity unmistakably has that proverbial
"hook" to it that all songwriters diligently shoot for. Not only do I
believe that this particular piece deserves some airplay, but I also think
it would make an excellent background love song soundtrack for a romantic
comedy film.
Fresh and exhilarating, this new
collection of songs is a veritable triumph for the folk-bluegrass style of
music in the new millennium. Those who enjoy purist folk music, or even
older style acoustic-based country toward the bluegrass side, will find a
great listen in Alberta Skies.
--Bill Reed
Houston Freelance Music Critic |
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