ALISON KRAUSS + UNION STATION
PAPER AIRPLANE
Rounder Records
11661-9115-2

Alison Krauss + Union Station fans have been waiting since 2004 for a new release from this stellar outfit. The interim has seen members Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, Barry Bales, and Jerry Douglas pursuing independent projects, but Paper Airplane finds the five of them back in their old form, showcasing Alison’s whispery soprano on eight cuts and Dan’s strident baritone on three.

As always, Alison has carefully chosen material by some wonderful songwriters. The title track (by Krauss favorite Robert Lee Castleman) opens the disc, building from a quiet fingerpicked guitar to an easy medium groove. It’s followed by one of the strongest cuts on the album, Peter Rowan’s “Dust Bowl Children.” The opening guitar riff exactly echoes Rowan’s original recording before Ron Block’s strong rolling banjo backup takes over and propels the song along, pushing against Dan’s forceful interpretation of the heartbreaking yet fiendishly catchy lyrics.

Another standout is “My Love Follows You Where You Go,” the most bluegrassy cut to feature Alison’s lead vocal. Its memorable last line, Watching you walk away slow, will stick in your brain and roll around for a while. Richard Thompson’s “Dimming Of The Day” is slow, gentle, simply arranged with just guitar and resonator guitar, and shows off the delicate interpretive stylings for which Alison is most famous. The album wraps up with a thematically appropriate song. “My Opening Farewell” tells of a woman torn about going away, and the sad and hopeful words leave future possibilities open: There’s a train everyday, leaving either way.

If any Alison Krauss devotees were worried that she would take the band in a different direction after working with Robert Plant, they can lay their trepidations to rest. Although this album is full of new material, all the familiar AKUS elements are here and it sounds like two years, rather than seven, since we last heard from them.

If you buy the Paper Airplane deluxe version (available exclusively at Target stores) you get three extra new cuts, as well as three previously released live tracks. The energy on those live cuts overshadows the rest of the album a bit and I’m sure that many new (post-Robert Plant-collaboration) fans, upon hearing those, will want to buy the album they are pulled from (titled Live). (Rounder Records, One Rounder Way, Burlington, MA 01803, www.rounder.com.) CAH

BRANDON ADAMS
HARDEST KIND OF MEMORIES
No Label
A123

From the opening flurry of flatpicked notes kicking off this album’s initial track, a nimble instrumental called “Roberts Ride,” one can tell that this up-and-coming Kentucky singer, songwriter, and guitarist is a devotee of Tony Rice, but one who won’t leave the harder edges more associated with his home State behind. “Docks Of Sutters Bay,” with its breezy maritime feel punctuated by incisive guitar and resonator guitar runs, reinforces Adams’ affinity for the Rice style and signals that the rest of this 11-track, 40-minute project deserves a close listen.

Adams wrote nine of those eleven tracks with upbeat numbers “Sweat Of Your Brow” and “Up Where The Cold Wind Blows,” showcasing not only those promising writing skills, but a smooth voice with just a bit of a bourbon bite at the back of it. “Hardest Kind Of Memories” is the best all-around track here; don’t be surprised if it lands Adams a record deal or ends up being recorded by a more established act looking for a hit.

Guest artists include Don Rigsby (mandolin, tenor vocal), Randy Kohrs (resonator guitar), Scott Vestal (banjo), Robert Maynard (bass), Jay Weaver (bass), Bo Isaacs (tenor vocal), Jessie Cobb (mandolin), Rudy Roar (mandolin), Jessy Wells (fiddle, guitar) and Luke Bulla (fiddle). No individual track credits are listed, but the picking is fine throughout and careful listeners can pick out their favorite musicians. (Brandon Adams, 31 Freedom Tabernacle Rd., Webbville, KY 41180.) AKH

IAN WALSH AND KEVIN BUCKLEY
KEEPING IT REEL
Mountain Rose Records
No Number

Much is made of the many connections between bluegrass and Irish music. Tim O’Brien did an excellent job of blending the dual traditions on his concept album The Crossing, and The Transatlantic Sessions recordings were a creative meeting ground between talented musicians from both sides of the water.

Midwestern fiddler/mandolinist Ian Walsh and guitarist/singer Kevin Buckley play their bluegrass much more green than blue. Truth be told, this is much more an album of Irish music than a bluegrass, or even newgrass, CD. Notwithstanding, it’s a fine one, with an interesting collection of tunes and songs augmented by bodhran and uilleann pipes. But readers of this magazine might not even take note of this release, but for the inclusion of a cover of Tony Rice’s “Manzanita,” a recasting of the old-time song “Say Darlin’ Say” in a Celtic context, and the pairing of “Done Gone” with the French Canadian “Reel Beatrice.”

It’s all well-played and well-sung, and a nice opportunity for those less familiar with Irish music (and even a spot of Venezuelan, via the increasingly popular waltz “La Partita”) to explore unfamiliar waters. (Mountain Rose Records, 227 Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63119, www.buckleyandwalsh.com.) HK

IRON HORSE
HORSE AND PEN
B-Sharp Records
CD-003

Formed in Muscle Shoals, Ala., in 2000, this quartet has produced bluegrass tribute albums to Metallica, Led Zeppelin, and Ozzy Osbourne, among other rock acts, but their focus with Horse And Pen is on self-penned material. The ten-song, thirty-five minute results are well-planned and well-executed.

Vance Henry (guitar), Ricky Rogers, (bass), and Tony Robertson (mandolin) share lead and backing vocal duties, while talented banjoist Anthony Richardson contributes baritone and bass harmonies. Their picking is seldom flashy, but all the breaks and instrumental interplay are tasteful and fresh, supporting an interesting batch of songs with vocal arrangements that, again, aren’t spectacular, but extremely nicely done.

“Look At Me” is a gentle, slow number with some of those fine vocals and perfect backup picking from Anthony Richardson, while “My Daddy’s Life” is a mid-tempo train song with relaxed, inventive banjo patterns. “Mary’s Not In Kansas” and “Just A Dream Away” are two more of the smoother numbers, but the band proves they can kick it up a notch with the likes of “Letter To You,” “You’ll Live On,” and the quite catchy “I Don’t Wanna Think.”

“Oh Moses” provides a little gospel flavor with some soulful lead and harmony vocals and some swampy resonator guitar, proving that when Iron Horse comes rolling down the track, they’ll be bringing a load of inventive and varied music. (Vance Henry, 6190 City Rd. 34, Killen, AL 35645, www.ironhorsebluegrass.com.) AKH

JAMES REAMS AND THE BARNSTORMERS
ONE FOOT IN THE HONKY TONK
Mountain Redbird Music
MRM-CD-006

When the playing and the singing and the songwriting are working just right on James Reams and the Barnstormers’ third release, the album works as well, and the effect is quite a pleasure. That happens on about half the CD’s 15 tracks.
Reams and his band—longtime collaborator Mark Ferrell on mandolin and fiddle, Doug Nicholson on banjo, and Nick Sullivan on bass (plus guests Kenny Kosek on fiddle and Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin)—do best on the slower honky-tonk tunes and the instrumentals. The exception is the opening title track, which clips along at a nice rip and is sharp throughout.
Exception aside, there is much to like in the slower, bluesier songs such as “Almost Hear The Blues,” “In The Corner At The Table By The Jukebox,” and “King Of The Blues.” The first of that list is of particular note. Written by country great Stonewall Jackson, it’s everything a good country song should be, and the performance is excellent. “In The Corner…” by James Hand is almost as good. Then there are the four instrumentals including two band originals. Here, the top cut is a cover of “Florida Blues.” First made famous by Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, this version has a very different feel, and it’s good to hear Mark Ferrell putting a personal stamp on a classic.
As for what makes the remaining songs average, the biggest culprits are phrasing and word construction or both. Songs that are phrased oddly or that jam too many syllables into a measure, such as “Cornbread, Molasses and Sassafras Tea,” are instantly distracting. Some are more distracting than others, but distracting nonetheless. Fortunately, the better half redeems the album. (Mountain Redbird Music, 10045 Royal Oak Rd., Unit 35, Sun City, AZ 85351, www.jamesreams.com.) BW

JOHN HARTFORD, TONY RICE & VASSAR CLEMENTS
HARTFORD, RICE, CLEMENTS
Small Dog Barking
No Number

It’s commonplace for recordings to appear posthumously. Some artists left hours of recorded music behind. These gentleman worked and played together on and off for decades. They ran in the same circles, they blew off steam playing for the fun of it. We are lucky here.

This is great bluegrass by one of the major iconoclastic bluegrassers and some good friends. To say this is a joint effort is to touch the essence of these recordings. On “Sweet Sunny South,” we hear John’s heartfelt reading with Tony playing guitar for himself more so than for the expectant audience. Vassar throws in some licks that work, but also stretch the sound. John sings “My Baby’s Gone” with Vassar’s fine harmony. Tony and John hit the harmonies just right on “If I Should Wander Back Tonight,” getting that 7th interval that marked some of the best of Flatt & Scruggs’ duet harmonies.

Perhaps Ralph Stanley acquired the rights to “Bound To Ride” from Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, but that doesn’t matter when you hear John’s low banjo roll through the song at the speed of light. Also defying physics, they fly through “Long Journey Home” with some of the fastest fiddling Vassar may have ever recorded. What great double-stops he throws off early on that cut, while Roy Huskey, Jr., rips off a bass break that almost pulls the strings from the bass. While much of the material is public domain, there are some little recorded gems like Benny Martin’s “Wings Of A Song.” “Poor Ellen Smith” walks along more like an old-time rendition than bluegrass, until Vassar has his say. Roy’s bass is an integral to the sound of this piece as any other instrument.

Recorded in John’s basement facing a rock wall with two mics on a digital VHS system, this nearly lost gem of a recording is not to be missed. Tony Rice and Mark Howard, who plays some very nice mandolin throughout the project, are the only two surviving members of this jam. Mark must count himself fortunate for being in the right place at the right time. We can listen and remember hearing these folks together or apart and know that we are richer for having done so. This recording allows us to hear John play straight-ahead bluegrass with Tony Rice and Vassar Clements being their ever-creative selves. To miss this recording is to miss real music made by masters who were just being themselves and playing for the simple joy of it. (John Hartford Music, P.O. Box 680488, Franklin, TN 37068, www.johnhartford.com.) RCB

MIKE SEEGER AND PEGGY SEEGER
FLY DOWN LITTLE BIRD
Appleseed Recordings
APR CD 1125

Recorded mostly in 2008, a year before Mike Seeger’s death, this album documents what must have been a wonderful few days for the brother and sister, recording in Mike’s home-studio, songs that they knew from childhood.

Mike and Peggy Seeger grew up in Silver Spring, Md. Their father, Charles Louis Seeger, and their mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, were active in collecting folk songs. There are 14 songs here gleaned from a repertoire they originally learned from their parents, John and Alan Lomax, and the Library Of Congress. It’s just the two of them playing and singing live, and the instruments are guitar, old-time banjo, fiddle, cello-banjo. There are three songs recorded at a private home in Boston (later in 2008) and one song, “Little Birdie,” recorded live at WAMC in Albany, N.Y.

Songs include “Old Bangum,” “Cindy,” “Little Willie’s My Darlin’,” “My Home’s Across The Blue Ridge Mountains,” and a wonderful tune called “Red River Jig,” a Canadian fiddle tune. Mike Seeger was not stuck in one part of the old-time, bluegrass, or folk scene. He took it all in and created music that is still alive and vibrant. And Peggy has that same wide interest in songs and songwriting, and that passion comes through on this recording.

This is well worth listening to for rare versions of old songs and for the wonderful brother/sister mix of Mike and Peggy. (Appleseed Recordings, P.O. Box 2593, West Chester, PA 19380, www.appleseedmusic.com.) CVS

SCOTT HOLSTEIN
COLD COAL TOWN
Coal Records, No Number

This is an outstanding recording in every way. With a rich baritone voice reminiscent of country singer Josh Turner and a talent for writing straight-to-the-gut lyrics wrapped up in strong melodies, Scott Holstein has hit one out of the park with Cold Coal Town. These great songs draw from life in coal country and build a consistent theme throughout the entire recording, resulting in a cohesive work that may very well stand with the likes of Jimmy Arnold’s Southern Soul or Marty Stuart’s The Pilgrim.
Propelled by Holstein’s powerful vocals, Cold Coal Town is a trip through the highs and lows of Appalachian mountain life and the coal mining which has, throughout the history of the region, been both a blessing and a curse. Holstein’s well-crafted, compelling songs hit the themes believably, from the prisoner’s lament in “Walls Of Stone” and the civil war tale ‘Montani Semper Liberi” to “Roll Coal Roll” and the hard-driving “Boone County Blues.”
Although lacking the high part of the high-lonesome sound, Holstein evokes the sound and influence of the Stanley Brothers with two songs of particular note. “Clinch Mountain Hills” is as close to something Ralph and Carter might have done as any song that actually mentions the Stanleys. And the chilling a cappella dirge “Black Water” reflects back to the folk tradition, when true songs of tragedy and loss would pass news from community to community, much like the Stanleys’ songs did with “No Schoolbus In Heaven” and “The Flood.”
None of this is to suggest that Cold Coal Town is a depressing recording. It isn’t. It’s too refined and gutsy. It’s dark, but with driving instrumental work from a crackerjack supporting cast including Randy Kohrs, Scott Vestal, Aaron Ramsey, Clay Hess, and others, Cold Coal Town has an emotional impact that’s almost visual, as great music can do. Holstein has not only created a great recording, but also a fine work of art and a recording not to be missed. One of the best in a very long time. (Coal Records, 54 Gateway Cir., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122, www.scottholsteinmusic.com.) AWIII

TERRY BAUCOM
IN A GROOVE
John Boy & Billy/Dualtone
1006

Terry Baucom has been playing bluegrass for a long time. He was a fiddler with the late Charlie Moore about thirty-plus years ago. He played banjo with Ricky Skaggs in Boone Creek and then proceeded to play in a long list of bands throughout the 1980s. He is found here burning it down on the five-string and singing with past collaborators.

This release is about the singer as well as the banjo picker. We hear Baucom in trios with Jamie Dailey and Lou Reid on “Do You Wrong Kind Of Girl” and then on “Nothing Like The Scorn Of A Lover” with Russell Moore and Buddy Melton. Terry joins his wife, Cindy Baucom, and Paul Williams for a nice reading of “Stepping Stones.” We get to hear the original Quicksilver Quartet, Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid, and Terry Baucom sing “My Eyes Shall Be On Canaan’s Land.” While you might expect a lot of instrumentals, there is just one, the title cut. We get lots of great singing from a long list of some of the best contemporary vocalists working today including the Gibson Brothers, Ronnie Bowman, Chris Stapleton, John Cowan, Adam Steffey, and all of the others previously mentioned above.

Baucom has surrounded himself with past bandmates to create a fresh new sound that is rich, highly listenable, and forward looking. If you have followed him in the past, don’t miss this recording. The material is strong and the performances are all top notch. This is very good contemporary bluegrass. (John Boy and Billy Inc., P.O. Box 876, Burlington, NC 27216, www.terrybaucom.com.) RCB

THE BROMBIES
FROM THE PINEY HILLS (OF HOLLYWOOD)
Adina
1002

From the piney hills of Hollywood, Cal., come the Brombies, the name being a variant of the term for Australian wild horses (“brumbies”). The Brombies are made up of the husband and wife team of George and Jo Ellen Doering, Bill Bryson, and Patrick Sauber. This project is a collection of original material from both the Doerings and Bryson, nicely arranged and delivered in a solid bluegrass style, giving each member of the group a chance to be out front. The vocal harmonies are tight and blend into almost one voice. There is lots of good material here for those who desire to add new songs to their repertoire. Give the Brombies a listen. You’ll enjoy what you hear. (www.thebrombies.com) BF

THE BYRON BERLINE BAND
RUNAWAY
Doublestop Music
No Number

Byron Berline built a good bit of his reputation playing in and among the California bluegrass and country rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s. Those bands had an affinity for bright, pop-influenced melodies and backing. They also didn’t shy away from covering rock tunes, nor from using drums.

All of that and more makes up the major part of the sound of this project. It was recorded in Oklahoma, but it may as well have been California circa 1973—drums, cymbals, and all. You can hear it right from the opening Berline fiddle instrumental “Up And Down The River,” which has the wonderful feel of “Keep On Pushin’” from the Country Gazette era. This leads right to a string of rock-tune covers, including “Never Ending Love,” “Hello Mary Lou,” “Memphis,” a slightly “up” version of “Wild Horses,” “Last Train To Clarksville,” the Yardbirds’ “Heart Full Of Soul,” and the Beatles’ “Run For Your Life.” They also cover two traditional songs, “Dark Hollow” and “Farther Along.”

At times, Berline and his band (Greg Burgess on fiddle and guitar, Jim Fish on guitar, John Hickman on banjo, Richard Sharp on bass, and Steve Short on tasteful drums) weave in touches of the Country Gazette, the Kentucky Colonels (with Fish hinting at Roland White’s lead vocals), and the Dillards (on “Dark Hollow”).

The few songs that break from the California sound reflect Berline’s Oklahoma background with a nod toward western swing. Those tracks include “Oklahoma Hills,” a lovely version of “Yearning,” and a Berline original, “Cherokee.” All three leave you wanting more of that style. (Double Stop Music, 121 E. Oklahoma, Guthrie OK 73044, www.doublestop.com.) BW

THE DEL MCCOURY BAND & THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND
AMERICAN LEGACIES
McCoury Music/Preservation Hall Recordings
MCM0015

Two of the most respected music forms, bluegrass and jazz, find a common ground from their roots that dig deep into the music culture of the American South in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

And who better to reach the crossroads of musical influences and vocabularies than the revered Del McCoury Band? They joined the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in the studio and recorded what one of the jazz band’s players called “Mardi-grass.”

The CD kicks off with the feel-good “The Boys In Town.” “Boy what a great backup band for a singer,” Del McCoury said. “When you hear that behind you, it really gets you enthused about singing.” That’s apparent in songs like “50/50 Chance” and Bing Crosby’s “One Has My Name,” which McCoury admits would have been hard to sing in any other context. Rob McCoury and the Hall’s Carl LeBlanc shine on “Banjo Frisco.” Bill Monroe’s “Millenberg Joy” (originally New Orleans favorite “Milneburg Joys”), Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya,” and the gospel classic “I’ll Fly Away” get a new dimension.

Some of the runs heard by the jazz band horns sound familiar to what is heard by stringed instruments in bluegrass. “Like the trumpet player, he’ll play a run and I’ll think, ‘Man, I’ve heard fiddle players in bluegrass do the same thing exactly,’” McCoury said. Frankly, bluegrass purists may not like this album, but music lovers who enjoy experimentation will be thrilled with the two genres’ union. It’s a marriage that works beautifully. (McCoury Music, P.O. Box 128437, Nashville, TN 37212, www.mccourymusic.com.) BC

TONY HOLT & THE WILDWOOD VALLEY BOYS
LOST HIGHWAYS & TREASURED MEMORIES
Old Heritage Records
OHR 1001

Tony Holt sings and Aubrey Holt writes, and all is right with the latest Wildwood Valley Boys CD. Of the fourteen songs on this recording, Aubrey wrote seven of them; songs of lost pride, lost love, a trucker’s life, of memories, and of longing. His “Cherokee Shame” is a look at a man’s life interrupted by alcohol and jail and what that interruption does to his family’s heritage. “Board That Train And Ride,” a chugging burner, makes plain the desire to shake the dirt from your shoes when you hear that whistle blow, while “Each Memory Is A Treasure,” “Only In My Dream,” and “Headin’ Home” explore different aspects of the “good times.” Tom Holt’s “If I Had My Way” is another good memory song.

Once in the hands of Tony Holt, Aubrey’s songs (and indeed all the songs on this recording) take on a vibrancy and emotional quality that is hard to surpass. Just how fine a singer he has become can be heard on his cover of “Lost Highway.” Delivered in a smooth, even baritone, Tony gives the song a wistfulness not found on the Hank Williams classic, which is more pleading. Moreover, were it not for Hank’s version, Tony’s would be in serious contention for the honor.

Joining Tony are Aubrey on harmony, bassist Tom Patrick, mandolinist Brad Lambert, and guests: banjoist Jeff Murray, resonator guitarist Matt Despain, and fiddler Michael Cleveland. Together they create a solid body of sound, particularly strong on “Board That Train…,” “Each Memory…,” and on Aubrey’s slow, country lament, “Just Another Souvenir.” Their good work together equally applies to the seven covers that round out this recording. Of those, the fast and flowing opener “Get A Little Dirt On Your Hands,” Jimmie Skinner’s “A Born Ramblin’ Man,” and Buck Owens’ “I Know That You Know (That I Love You)” stand out. All in all, a fine recording. (Old Heritage Records, P.O. Box 983, Goodlettsville, TN 37070, www.oldheritagerecords.com.)BW

THE STARDAY STORY: THE HOUSE THAT COUNTRY MUSIC BUILT
BY NATHAN GIBSON WITH DON PIERCE

Univ. Press of Miss., 9781604738308. Hardback, b&w photos, record listing, bibliography, index, 265 pp. (Univ. Press of Miss., 3825 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, MS 39211, www.upress.state.ms.us.)

If you are a long-time bluegrass fan, chances are your record shelves are populated with Starday albums—the vinyl kind. The Stanley Brothers, Carl Story, the Lewis Family, Bill Clifton, early Country Gentlemen, the Stoneman Family, and Alex and Ola Belle Reed all recorded for Starday Records. The label not only launched the careers of George Jones, Roger Miller, and Dottie West, it also revived the careers of Cowboy Copas, Red Sovine, and Moon Mullican and provided a home for older acts such as Stringbean, Clyde Moody, the Blue Sky Boys, and Wayne Raney.

As this meticulously researched work reveals, Starday was one of the most important and innovative independent labels in country music history—with the largest bluegrass catalog in the world. Starday Recording and Publishing Company was co-founded in 1953 by Jack Starnes, Pappy Daily, and Don Pierce, and author Nathan Gibson was incredibly fortunate to have Pierce on board for the writing of this book. Not only did Pierce provide access to his friends in the business, his own vivid memories flesh out what could have become a dull and boring narrative.

Gibson traces the history of Starday from its beginnings in Texas, through its move to Nashville in 1957, its sale to the Lin Broadcasting Company (which also bought King Records) in 1970, and the subsequent sale of the Starday/King catalog to Gusto where it now resides as part of Moe Lytle’s IMG cooperation. The book pays tribute to Pierce, a “country music maverick” who “tirelessly promoted country music through its darkest hours.” A bold innovator, he opened up country music’s acceptance overseas, pioneered budget labels and country music record clubs, and was among the first to record and release full-length record albums. Last but not least, the book includes an almost-complete listing of Starday and Starday-related records from 1953 to 1970, a welcome addition to the world of music research.

There is an incredible amount of information here in these 170 pages of text, and occasionally the flow bogs down a bit. Wading through the minute details of Lefty Frizzell’s tribulations with Jack Starnes right off the bat was somewhat trying, but sticking it out proved to be extremely worthwhile. Not everyone will enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at what made an independent record company successful, but if you are interested in the business end of the music business, The Starday Story will provide a fascinating read. MHH