VOLUME FIVE
DOWN IN A CELL
Mountain Fever Records
MFR100817

Although Down In A Cell is the first album by a band that debuted three years ago, each member of Volume Five has held tenure with national touring bands prior to their collective start. Mississippian Glen Harrell, who had fiddled with Marty Raybon and Full Circle for five years, began pulling the group together late in 2007. Adam Duke (guitar) from Cullman, Ala., performed all over with David Davis & the Warrior River Boys, while Georgia bass player Chris Williamson spent two years with Randy Kohrs. Alabama school teacher and mandolinist Jesse Daniel played briefly with Kohrs and Anita Fisher. Patton Wages, who spent four years with Raybon and Full Circle replaced Casey Colwell (and Shane Blackwell) on banjo shortly after the recording of Down In A Cell.

Down In A Cell includes 11 tracks with four originals written by members of Volume Five (“Down In A Cell” by Adam Duke, “Busy City”, “These Lies”, and “Ride Ruby Ride” by Jesse Daniel) along with songs penned by popular writers such as Whitey Shafer (“Baptism Of Jesse Taylor”) and Dottie Rambo (“Sailing On”). The CD also features a great bluegrass re-make of “Home”, originally a hit for country music star Joe Diffie. Possibly the most interesting aspect of Down In A Cell is the lead vocals shared between Glen Harrell and Adam Duke, both soulful singers, but each with a distinctive style all their own.

Volume Five has all the tools and competencies of a modern professional bluegrass band in 2011. They have two good lead singers, some original songs and good taste in covers, and fine picking. What remains to be seen is whether Volume Five can be heard and stand out on their own in a bluegrass world evermore crowded with talented, contemporary bands. The answer will lie in whether the bandmembers can employ the skills they amply exhibit on Down In A Cell in creating a distinctive sound immediately recognizable as Volume Five. (Mountain Fever Records, 1177 Alum Ridge Rd; Willis, VA 24380, www.mountainfever.com.) AM

THE BANKESTERS
Blue Circle Records
BCR-031

Eleven songs. Eleven different individual writers or writing teams. Six different lead vocalists. That’s the breakdown on the Bankesters third release and first for Blue Circle Records.

Some of the songs are country-pop concoctions, the best being the opener “Sure As The Sun,” a catchy, slow and bluesy love song sung by Emily Bankester and using the group’s fine harmony vocals to good effect. Several, such as “Get Right Or Get Left,” “Give Me This Day,” and the Ralph Stanley/Larry Sparks piece, “I Am The Man, Thomas” are religious songs. “Dance To The St. Anne’s Reel” puts words to a fiddle tune favorite. Another “Blow Out The Candle, Laura” is one of Tom T. Hall’s patented story songs, this one about a mine disaster and the woman left at home. A couple tracks, including the Stanley/Sparks and “I Will Not Forget You” are in the traditional bluegrass style.

What they all have in common, aside from being played and sung well, is that they are all either slow or at the very slow end of medium tempo. Taken individually the songs work well. “Sure As The Sun” should prove popular among Americana fans and could do well among the bluegrass fans as well. “Dance To…” is a nice twist on an old tune and Hall’s song, though not comparable to his classics, is enjoyable. The messages of the gospel tunes and the positive songs such as “That’s What Livin’s For” are also of high quality.

Taken together, however, 11 slow tunes is a bit too much. Surely a couple of up-tempo numbers could have been included. Had they, this would have been a much better whole. (Blue Circle Records, P.O. Box 681286, Franklin, TN 37068, www.bluecirclerecords.com.) BW

BROCK MCGUIRE BAND
GREEN GRASS BLUE GRASS
ROOTS MUSIC FROM IRELAND & AMERICA
Paulman Music
PMCD001

Take a first-rate Irish quartet and add four of the best American bluegrass pickers and a member of Elvis Costello’s band, the Sugarcanes, and you get a mighty lively recording that may cause you to get a speeding ticket if you’d dare play it in your car.

This fast-paced project features Paul Brock playing button-key accordion and melodeon; Manus McGuire is the fiddler for this fine unit. With the help of such bluegrass luminaries as Ricky Skaggs, Aubrey Haynie, Bryan Sutton, and Mark Fain, they charge through a program of Irish and American tunes from such classics as “Wheel Hoss” and “Indian Springs” to “Wild Fiddler’s Rag” to Irish classics like “Moving Cloud.” Often played in sets, American and Irish tunes pop in unusual juxtapositions. Two such sets include “Darling Girl From County Clare”/”Turkey In The Straw” and “Fish On A Snag”/“Wheel Hoss”/“Ships Are Sailing.” The best part is that they work well together and the hybridized band makes it all work wonderfully. Interestingly, what they call “Fish On A Snag” is called “Mississippi Sawyer” in the States.

There are wonderfully moody pieces interspersed between the rollicking sets. Their reading of the late Kentucky fiddler, Hiram Stamper’s “Chinquapin Hunting” is a pure joy to hear. If you are already a fan of Irish music, you will find a lot to like here. If you are just getting into this music, this will provide an opportunity to hear new takes on well-known bluegrass pieces. If you just love good fiddling and fine picking there is a lot here to like. This is a treasure of Transatlantic ear candy for your listening pleasure. (Paul Brock, Frendale Promotions Ltd.,The Coach House, Lifford Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland, www.brockmcguireband.com.) RCB

CUMBERLAND RIVER
THE LIFE WE LIVE
Rural Rhythm
RUR-1083

Hard times and more hard times. A “Harlan Man” without career options is crushed by falling coal. The ghost of “Mary Flynn,” killed by her lover, walks ceaselessly. Another murdered woman begs “Remember Me,” while other locals suffer with a “Cold And Withered” heart, or in their isolation are on the “Outside Looking In.” Elsewhere we hear of a “Train Of Sorrow” and a “Lonely Road” and pray the “Miner’s Prayer.” There doesn’t seem to be much positive in Cumberland River’s part of the world.

You may know of the Harlan County-based Cumberland River from hearing their songs on the cable television drama Justified. That’s the kind of exposure bluegrass bands dream of, and the band is determined to make the most of it, showcasing their blend of tradition and contemporary styles on their Rural Rhythm debut. In the band are banjoist James Dean, bassist Joey Jones, mandolinist Dustin Middleton, guitarist Andy Buckner and fiddler Justin Moses—fine players all.

Dean, Middleton, and Buckner share the lead vocals, though I’m only sure of the songs Middleton sings. Of the three, he has the most interesting voice. His raspy, weathered baritone is casting-call perfect for the gritty “Harlan Man,” the haunting “Mary Flynn” and especially for putting forth the angst and stress of “This Life I Live.” As for the other two, though the liner notes don’t say, I think Dean is the higher, more anguished lead, at its best on the almost frantic “Cold And Withered.” That leaves Buckner as the smoother voice found leading “Outside Looking In.” Either way, the band boasts three distinct and compelling lead voices.

That their songs (all 13 are band originals) deal with hard times is to be expected, since you write best what you know, but they also bring to each a sense of dignity, compassion and pride. That makes for an honest and good debut. (Rural Rhythm, P.O. Box 660040 Dept. D, Arcadia, CA 91066, www.ruralrhythm.com.) BW

KENNY SMITH
RETURN
Gat 3 Records
No Number

Master musicians can do as they please. Consider playing well-known tunes. Where an average musician can include no more than one or two before attracting a jaundiced eye, masters can include as many as they want. On his latest recording Kenny Smith, a master guitarist by any definition, does just that. Of the fourteen tracks, seven are fiddle tune standards. Smith can include such tunes as “Forked Deer,” “Black Mountain Rag,” “Arkansas Traveler” and “Billy In The Lowground” bacause the vision he brings to them makes us hear them as if for the first time. He can take “Arkansas Traveler” and, while leaving enough of the original in our ear to keep us from being lost compeletely, twist and reharmonizing and deconstruct it into something fresh. “Billy…” and “Sail Away Ladies” receive varying degrees of the same treatment. “Leather Britches” is largely straight forward, but the tone is so attractive, particularly his twangy, close-to-the-bridge drones. “Black Mountain Rag,” on the other hand, is a pure showpiece of technique and spirit. Played with minor alterations the first pass, in the second solo, Smith lets his imagination run free and makes a warhorse a colt again.

The non-standards are four Smith originals and two creations from banjoist Jim Denman. Smith’s “Rising Fawn,” pairing his guitar with clawhammer banjoist Adam Hurt, honors the elegance and old-time drive of Norman Blake perfectly, while his “Modal A” has a nifty, back-and-forth note figure that propels the melody like those old car chase scenes. The Denman pieces are also very good, both employing quirky scales and note choices as their calling cards. “Half Step” takes it to the extreme, using melody notes that land a half step off where you think they should land. That sense of surprise is fun and intriguing, even with repeated plays.

Supported in high fashion by Barry Bales, Aubrey Haynie, Adam Steffey, Denham, Hurt and others, this is a masterful set of guitar instrumentals. (Gat3 Records, 655 Pressley Rd., Ste. E, Charlotte NC 28217, www.gat3productions.com.) BW

LONESOME HIGHWAY
GOT AWAY WITH MURDER
No Label
No Number

Seven years have passed since I last reviewed Lonesome Highway. In that time, they have released a second recording, shifted from essentially being a cover band and made several personnel changes. On this their third release, only banjoist John Arnold and mandolinist Jimmy Kountz remain of the original group. Guitarist and alternate lead singer Buddy Dunlap, who joined in 2006, also returns, but the group has now added bassist Cody Brown and fiddler Mason Wright. Moreover, eleven of the fourteen tracks are now band originals, ten of them from Dunlap and one from Arnold.

Where this band excels is with its instrumental skills, which are solid all the way around, with Dunlap’s clear, inventive guitar solos garnering the most attention. His uptempo instrumental, “Diggin’ Iron,” showcases his technical facility, but it’s his solos on vocal numbers, such as at the end of the title tune, that his musical understanding and maturity comes through best. Another positive is the vocal work of Jimmy Kountz. When he sings the lead, as he does on Dunlap’s “That’s The Way” or the lyrical “If You Don’t Love Me Anymore” (also by Dunlap) or on the standard “Come Early Mornin,’” he offers a warmth and solidity important to putting the song across. Any one of his leads has merit.

Dunlap continues to develop as a songwriter. At times, he falls victim to overused phrases and ideas, but then he’ll turn in a strong piece, such as “The Striking Man,” and it all comes together. On “The Striking Man,” he offers a thoughtful take on the plight of a strikebreaker, showing that it’s not always a right or wrong situation. Had this album had a few more tracks of that quality, and perhaps a few well-chosen covers, its appeal would have been greater. (Lonesome Highway, HC 66 Box 20, Romney, WV 26757, www.lhway.com.) BW

MICHELLE NIXON AND DRIVE
A PLACE I BELONG
Mountain Fever Records
MFR 110701

Michelle Nixon returns to the bluegrass road with this album. She wasn’t completely off the road, of course having played on several Daughters of Bluegrass projects, but this is her first recording with Drive since 2005. Nick Nixon is still on guitar and still singing a few leads and still writing good songs in tandem with Michelle. Guitarist Patrick Robertson also sings a couple leads and contributes a couple nice originals. Mike Sharp on resonator guitar, Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, Tim Newcomb on banjo and John Wade on bass round out a solid group.

Much here is about love in all its permutations, and among those so themed are several tracks of note. The Nixons “Your Kind Of Love” looks at love from the positive side and has an upbeat, major sound for emphasis. Their “A Place I Belong,” a George/Tammy-like duet, uses a drifting, pensive, country style to underscore the disorientation after a breakup. Both are good songs, though not quite in the class with the writing/melody level of “Too Blue” and “Top Of The World.” The former was once covered by Jeanette Williams, who took it a little slower. Here the arrangement is a bit bouncier and more complex, though Michelle sings it largely in the style of Williams. “Top Of The World,” a huge country/pop hit for the Carpenters in the ’70s has been surprisingly overlooked by bluegrass. Why? Who can say, for it is perfect for the genre, as Drive shows with their interpretation.

The most thought-provoking song here is the Nixons “Where Do We Go From Here.” In these seemingly more-troubled times, it certainly sounds an appropriate note of concern. Though it hints at a solution, it also leaves us with a hanging phrase and a sense of uncertainty. Fortunately, Nixons solid return recording doesn’t end on a somber subject, but rather with a bang, as she offers her own raucous version of Tom T.’s “Harper Valley PTA.” Always leave them smiling. (Mountain Fever Records, 1177 Alum Ridge Rd. NW, Willis, VA 24380, www.mountainfever.com.) BW

PAUL WILLIAMS & THE VICTORY TRIO
SATISFIED
Rebel Records
REB-CD-1844

It’s worth remembering that Paul Williams is a genuinely important figure in bluegrass. This East Tennessee native was an early member of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, one of the first groups to successfully perform and record the music inspired by Bill Monroe. Later, Williams was the pivotal mandolin player and tenor harmony singer for Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys, lending his impressive talents to such hits as “Ocean Of Diamonds,” “My Walking Shoes Don’t Fit Me Any More,” and “You Don’t Know My Mind.”

Significantly, Williams was also a standout on Martin’s classic gospel recordings “Stormy Waters,” “Prayer Bells Of Heaven,” and “I Like To Hear Them Preach It.” After a time away from performing, Williams returned to bluegrass and focused on sacred music. The results have been wonderful, as witness his latest Rebel Records recording.

Time has not diminished Williams’ sterling voice or his adroit touch on the mandolin. He remains a consummate artist who will appeal to both gospel and secular listeners. The title track “Satisfied” and the enjoyable “Let Me Dream On” present his talents to best advantage. His songwriting abilities shine through on “I’ll Keep Holding On” and “We’ll Go Home Together (On The Cloud).” There is also pleasing variety here with the outstanding a cappella tracks “Give Me Just A Little More Time” and “A Dying Mother’s Prayer.”

Paul Williams receives wonderful support, both vocally and instrumentally, from the Victory Trio—Dan Moneyhun (guitar and occasional lead vocals), Adam Winstead (guitar and baritone vocals), Jerry Keys (banjo and bass vocals)—plus Susie Keyes (bass) and guest fiddler Hunter Berry. Moneyhun composed the rousing “He Will Call (And I Will Answer)” and he does an especially fine job as lead singer on “He Means The World To Me,” with Williams coming in on soaring bridge vocals. It’s one of the outstanding arrangements on the album. Satisfied is truly satisfying. (Rebel Records, P.O. Box 7405, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.rebelrecords.com.) RDS

RIDGELINE
YOU LEFT ME BEHIND
No Label
No Number

For many bands, a long history of comings and goings, false starts, and restarts precedes their debut recording. For Kingsport, Tenn.-based Ridgeline, that odyssey began in 2003, but their first CD is here now and shows the positive results that come from staying with it.

The recording is centered around Jed Patterson, a guitarist with an impressive, obviously Rice-influenced style. He handles all the lead vocals and does so with a smooth, measure and largely non-bluesy delivery, though he does have a tendency to break from his own style and emulate Rice unnecessarily. For the album, he contributed five originals, the two best being his gospel tune “This Hole” and his churning tale of never being given a chance, “You Left Me Behind.” The mandolin and tenor harmonies are in the skillful hands and voice of Rick Pafford. He has a pleasant, melodic approach in both regards. Bill Dunham is on bass and contributes a good baritone that gives the group a silky harmonic blend. Banjoist Chad Light and fiddler Tim Laughlin round out the group with ear-catching instrumental work throughout. Good examples include Light’s stately and clear rendition of the instrumental “Frosty Morning” and Laughlin’s solo on “Dooley.”

To go with the six band originals are several songs you don’t hear too often, plus four oft-recorded standards. Highlights, besides the two aforementioned Patterson originals, include a fantastic and lightly traipsing cover of John Hiatt’s lyrical “Angel Eyes,” a cover of John Pennell’s “Foolish Heart,” and their version of “Dooley,” to which the band gives a thicker, smoother sound more in keeping with the Bluegrass Album Band than with The Dillards. The other standards, though well-done, could have used a bit of thought, arrangement-wise. But that’s just a matter of tweeking and doesn’t diminish this good debut much at all. (Ridgeline, 546 Jackson St., Kingsport, TN 37660, e-mail: theridgelineband@gmail.com.) BW

SARAH JAROSZ
FOLLOW ME DOWN
Sugar Hill
SUG-CD-4062

Follow Me Down shares many of the virtues of singer/mandolinist/multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz’s breathtaking debut, Song Up In Her Head, most notably the wise-beyond-her-years voice, crack instrumental support, and introspective, at times haunting songwriting. Having Béla Fleck and Casey Driessen solo on her “Come Around” is something most young musicians (and elderly ones too) would give their thumb picks, if not thumbs, for. How about Chris Thile and the entire Punch Brothers backing her on Radiohead’s “The Tourist?” Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, Vince Gill, Shawn Colvin, Darrel Scott, Dan Tyminski, Mark Schatz, and Viktor Krauss are some of the other players and singers happy to help Ms. Jarosz get her musical points across on nine originals and two covers.

Jarosz’s pair of original instrumentals, one burning (“Old Smitty”), the other gentle (the aptly titled “Peace”), confirm that she is a musical force with or without words. She is adept at converting covers to her own style without submitting them to such complete overhauls as to become unrecognizable. Tom Waits’ “Come On Up” is one example from her debut, while Bob Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells” is given a sweet, lilting treatment on the new album. The Radiohead tune is less successful, and suggests why Follow Me Down rates a notch below her debut.

The record is too good to be seen as a sophomore slump. Still, comparing them, Follow Me Down has fewer striking melodies (“Edge Of A Dream” from her debut is an example from the first album unmatched this time out), while Jarosz’s delivery at times has a slightly self-conscious twinge, a bit too navel-gazing. “My Muse” is a track that is packed with both hushed beauty and hypnotic tension yet touched by the too-precious.

The Radiohead tune is a dirge that is innovative and distinctive, but may try too hard for an impact that, at least for this listener, is never quite achieved, and this with the awesome force of the Punch Brothers on board. The commitment is there, the performances impassioned, but it ends up easier to admire than to love. Compared to her debut, that is true for much of the disc.

But blame her for being so good that she’s already competing with herself. Deep into the career Jarosz is likely heading into, this will be seen as her early period. She already has much to live up to. (Sugar Hill Records, P.O. Box 120897, Nashville, TN 37212, www.sugarhillrecords.com.) DR

SKAGGS FAMILY
A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS, VOLUME TWO
Skaggs Family Records
SFC10122

This delightful two-disc collection from the Skaggs Family is just in time for the holiday season and is sure to be a welcome addition to anyone’s Christmas music library. While the first disc is a music CD, the second disc is a DVD video featuring a two-hour concert with the Skaggs, the Whites, members of Kentucky Thunder, and the Nashville Strings concert orchestra.

Both discs kick off with a rousing version of the Tex Logan classic, “Christmas Times A-Coming.” The music CD includes “Light Of The Stable,” a cappella selections of “The First Noel” and “Children Go Where I Send Thee,” and a Molly Skaggs solo “What Songs Were Sung.” The set also includes an absolutely beautiful rendition of “Silent Night” and the instrumental “Flight To Egypt.” The concert video was filmed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., and features band and solo performances from Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White Skaggs, Cheryl White, Buck White, Molly Skaggs, Luke Skaggs, and Rachael Leftwich. The Skaggs band includes Andy Leftwich, Cody Kilby, Mark Fain, Eddie Faris, Paul Brewster, Tom Ready, and Dirk Johnson.

The first part of the concert features the Skaggs Family performing such favorites as “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow,” “The First Noel,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” After a brief intermission, the Skaggs Family is joined on stage by the Nashville Strings concert orchestra who beautifully back various solo and ensemble performances from the Skaggs Family on such holiday favorites as “What Child Is This,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Deck The Halls,” “White Christmas,” the wonderful story of “The Christmas Guest,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” The video also includes encore performances of “Oh Come Oh Come Emanuel” and “Joy To The World.” This is a wonderful project set to please the whole family and one that will sure to become a regular holiday favorite. (Skaggs Family Records, P.O. Box 2478, Hendersonville, TN 37077, www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com.) BF