Great record albums evolve in their own direction at their own speed, indifferent to the best-laid plans. Had it followed the original schedule, Ralph Stanley II’s This One Is Two would have been out a year or more ago. And, given the talents behind it, it would have been a good album. But it would not have been the remarkable musical achievement it has now become.

During the album’s additional year of growth, new songs were found and older choices laid aside, new musicians were added to the already sparkling lineup and new arrangements were ventured. Every element in the project was sharpened. The result is an album that stands on even ground with the best country recordings ever made.

Stanley, who’s known as “Two” to his friends (and thus the album title), has spent nearly half his 30 years as lead singer and rhythm guitarist for his father’s fabled bluegrass band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. But like the great vocalist Keith Whitley, who preceded him in that position, Stanley has always had a passion for hardcore country songs, the ones that never wear thin from repeated singing.

“I’ve always wanted to do something more traditionally country,” he says, “because that’s the music I really admired growing up. When I first signed to Lonesome Day Records, we talked about me doing a half-and-half album, half country and half bluegrass. But the country part turned out so well that we decided to do a whole album of it, nothing but country. And I’m so glad we did.”

Those who cherish a direct, unadorned and emotionally honest sound will be glad as well. Stanley’s voice resonates with the same sensitivity and conviction we hear in such masters as George Jones, Merle Haggard and John Anderson. His song choices in This One Is Two are equally persuasive. Besides the two solidly country pieces he co-wrote himself, he interprets memorable lyrics from the pens of Lyle Lovett, Tom T. Hall, Townes Van Zandt, Fred Eaglesmith, J. P. Pennington and Elton John, among others.

In this sweep, Stanley ruminates about life on the road (“Honky Tonk Way,” “If This Old Guitar Could Talk”), homicidal jealousy (“L. A. County”), the excitement of the rails (“Train Songs”), the beauties of the Peach Tree State (“Georgia”), the agony of separation (“They Say I’ll Never Go Home,” “Cold Shoulder”), his legacy as the son and nephew of the trailblazing Stanley Brothers (“Lord Help Me Find The Way,” “Carter”), the comfort of easy ladies (“Loretta”) and the irreplaceability of mothers (“Moms Are The Reason Wild Flowers Grow”). It’s an 11-course feast of pure country.

Mike Latterell produced and engineered the sessions, with an assist from Marty Raybon, former lead singer of the group Shenandoah. Lonesome Day chief Randall Deaton took the lead in finding songs and stepped in as executive producer. The players include Randy Kohrs, Tim Crouch, Adam Steffey, Cody Kilby, Harold Nixon and Ron Stewart and the background singers are Raybon, Jim Lauderdale, Darrin Vincent, Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley.

Despite his deep roots in bluegrass, Stanley is no newcomer to country music. Elements of it emerged prominently in his four earlier solo albums: Carrying On (2004), Stanley Blues (2002), Pretty Girls, City Lights (2000) and Listen To My Hammer Ring (1999). He earned Grammy nominations with Stanley Blues and Carrying On and, as a member of the Clinch Mountain Boys, won a best bluegrass album Grammy in 2003 in conjunction with his father and Jim Lauderdale for Lost In The Lonesome Pines.

Raised in remote southwestern Virginia, Stanley began going out on the road with his father when he was just two years old. At four, he began learning to play guitar. By the time he was 16, he had accumulated enough time in the spotlight to take over as lead singer of the Clinch Mountain Boys, a job previously held by the likes of Carter Stanley, Larry Sparks, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs and Charlie Sizemore.

“People get all caught up in labels,” Stanley observes, “what’s country and what’s bluegrass. I guess there’s a place for that. But all I look for are songs that ring true to me. I can handle it from there.”

Ralph Stanley II sings lead in his famous father’s bluegrass band, the slot once occupied
by the great Keith Whitley. And like Keith, he’s a sensational honky-tonk vocalist who is
completely at home with a hardcore country song. Ralph’s new This One Is II album
is one of the finest country albums of the year, and this Lyle Lovett cheating-murder song is
one of its many highlights. Jim Lauderdale provides high harmony. Buy this record.
Robert K. Oermann, MUSIC ROW

This is a class album; at least to my often musically shell shocked ears.
With so much floss, image-driven hype, and the constant attack on the aural and
visual senses by radio and TV, it’s pleasing to hear an album pleasurable for its sheer artistry...
For those who like their country real, vibrant and gritty, this album is a treasure.
George Peden, COUNTRY STARS ONLINE

Ralph Stanley II has spent the last decade and a half backing his bluegrass-legend
father as a vocalist and rhythm guitarist, but his fifth solo album goes a long way toward
establishing "Two" as his own man. This One is Two makes a pronounced move away from
bluegrass and toward country, although for many the distinction may be hardly noticeable.
The most important factors here are Ralph's biting baritone and top-shelf songs.
He co-wrote just two, but chooses wisely from the catalogs of songwriters ranging from
Lyle Lovett to Elton John and from Tom T. Hall to Townes Van Zandt.
Chris Neal, COUNTRY WEEKLY

Debut album for the son of legendary Bluegrass artist Ralph Stanley, this cd does
not disappoint. A lot of work went into this cd and for those who cherish what country music
should be, this is the cd for you. Hardcore at its best Ralph delivers each ballad with that
rich voice that is consistent with the likes of Haggard, Jones and Anderson.
Now, before someone emails me I know Ralph had four previous albums but this is the one
that’s pure country. Tracks include "Cold Shoulder", "Georgia", "Train Songs" and "Loretta".
This is a great cd of ballads, only one up-tempo track but that’s made up
in the sincerity of the lyrics and production. 5 stars.
JDH, CASHBOX MAGAZINE

This is one of the best traditional country albums you'll hear this year,
but don't expect to hear it on country radio. It's too country. And it probably won't make
many bluegrass playlists either, since there's no bluegrass on it. Stanley's sound is very similar
to the late Keith Whitley's - and for good reason. They both honed their sounds as lead singers
with Stanley's father's Clinch Mountain Boys. Stanley - "Two" to his friends - has been singing
lead for the Clinch Mountain Boys since he was 16 - 14 years ago. But his heart, and his baritone,
is in stone-country music - and it's a shame radio no longer plays hard-core country.
Songs include "Carter," a tribute to his late uncle Carter Stanley; Elton John's "Georgia";
Lyle Lovett's murder ballad "L.A. County"; and Townes Van Zandt's "Loretta."
Stanley co-wrote two songs - "Honky Tonk Way" and "Lord Help Me Find the Way,"
a ballad about following in his father's footsteps. Great album.
Keith Lawrence, OWENSBORO MESSENGER-INQUIRER

Coming right out of his father's legendary project, The Clinch Mountain Boys,
Stanley II is prepared for the country world as much as one could be. Similar in style
to his bloodline, This One is Two is really beyond most: using unexpected rhythms, themes,
and just general orchestration that one would not expect from just any country artist.
Deep voiced with only a slight edge of the country twang, Stanley really knows how to write his music. Melodies, guitar playing...all of it fitting just like puzzle pieces through and through. It's rare that
I am so enthused about this genre of country, but this is much more impressive than most.
John S. Ivany, TOP 21

Ralph Stanley II, This One Is Two: Let's start at the back. The last song is unequivocally a prayer,
" Lord, Help Me Find The Way," the only song on the album credited to Mr. Stanley the Younger.
What a prayer. What a song. What a collection of songs that, with mild irony, indicate that
" the way" has already been discovered. Where does Ralph II go from here or from whatever
point his dad is no longer with us? To borrow from the song, he uses that roadmap his father
gave him that keeps him ridin' high. He keeps singing songs that come from writers as diverse
as Elton John, Tom T. Hall, Elmer C. Burchett, Jr., J.P. Pennington, Fred Eaglesmith, Townes Van Zant, Lyle Lovett, and oh, yeah, the Brooks kid and his buddies Bleasey and Williams.
And he keeps using musicians of this caliber...the proof is in the listening; this is a wonderful collection
of music that has evolved in the most natural manner from all that our society has come from. Wow.
Bill Littleton, UNCLE WILLIAMS PLACE

With more than a dozen years as lead singer for his father’s Clinch Mountain Boys and
four solo albums done in the same mountain bluegrass style, it’s perhaps not surprising that
Ralph Stanley II - “Two” for short - would want to venture out in search of a sound of his own.
After all, one of his musical heroes, Keith Whitley, took the same path.
With This One Is Two, Stanley has crafted a sound that fans of Whitley, or even Lefty Frizzell,
will be drawn to. The album features straightforward country arrangements executed by
an all-star bluegrass lineup of Tim Crouch (fiddle and guitar), Cody Kilby (guitar), Randy Kohrs
(resophonic guitar), Harold Nixon (bass), Adam Steffey (mandolin) and Ron Stewart (banjo).

With such expert backing, and free from the constraints imposed by the requirements of
bluegrass harmony, Stanley sounds comfortable and confident in his vocal choices.
Song choice is another strength, with Garth Brooks’ truck-driving tune “Cold Shoulder,”
Tom T. Hall’s upbeat “Train Songs” and Townes Van Zandt’s bittersweet “Loretta” all getting
fine treatment. Elton John’s tuneful “Georgia” and a duet with Jim Lauderdale on the
Lyle Lovett killin’ song “L.A. County” stand out as the most memorable of 11 strong tracks,
including two co-written by Stanley. One hopes This One is one of many to come in the same rich vein.
Aaron Keith Harris, LONESOME ROAD REVIEW

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