APRIL VERCH
THAT’S HOW WE RUN
Slab Town Records
STR11-01

Known as a Canadian fiddler and step dancer, Verch puts another foot forward here on a program of tunes predominately from the south of the Canadian border. The title cut is an introspective original piece that features Cody Walter’s fine clawhammer banjo and Verch’s direct vocal. It achieves a pensive start to a varied and rich recording. A nice mix of originals and currently popular old-time tunes populate this outing.

Verch ranges from bluegrass songs in old-time settings to a novelty number that could easily have come from some Nashville session of forty years ago. Primarily, we are treated to great fiddling with only a hint of her Canadian roots. The one tune that does not work here is “Farewell To Trion,” a lament of sorts that is treated with energetic bowing that recasts the tune to a whole new feel. While not a bad piece of music in the medley as it stands, it has lost the pathos that is part of the tune as it is held in tradition. Per the Fiddler’s Companion on the web: “Joe Blalock (b.1854) composed it upon returning to Alabama after getting laid off from a mill in Trion, Georgia. James Bryan added a third part to the tune.” They also note: “(It is) played slower than the usual breakdown tempo.” Her readings of Clyde Davenport’s “Five Miles To Town” and medleys of great tunes old and new such as “Parker Brown”/“Possum Run” and long “Long Harbor,” a very nice duet with fiddler Rayna Gellert, are outstanding. Her medley of Canadian and American versions of “Durang’s Hornpipe” is enlightening and fun. In fact, most of this recording is great. The novelty of “Moonshine Mac” may grow thin upon repeated listening, but most of the material holds up well and grows on you with each listen.

Ms. Verch is taking her music in new and interesting directions. Here, bandmembers Cody Walters and Clay Ross play with an accomplished finesse that allows them to go with the material and add touches that make the material come to life. Ross’s guitar will hold its own with the hotshot pickers in mainstream bluegrass. Walters has a fine touch on the banjo and is a masterful bassist. Add to this core the likes of Bobby Hicks, Bob Carlin, Riley Baugus, Kyle Dean Smith and Dirk Powell, to name a few, this is a talent bonanza of very good music. (www.aprilverch.com) RCB

BREAKING GRASS
No Label
No Number

Bluegrass music songwriting has grown and expanded thematically in recent years, with bands like the Infamous Stringdusters and Cadillac Sky bringing a cinematic approach to their original material that tells sweeping stories filled with a novelist’s eye for detail and character. Coupled with a newfound sense of rhythmic and melodic freedom, this new sound in bluegrass is drawing in new fans and giving existing listeners a fresh new sound to enjoy.

Breaking Grass, while hewing to a somewhat more traditional bluegrass sound than others exploring this territory, clearly falls into this exciting new frontier of creative expression. Unafraid to tackle clever arrangements and unusual chord changes, the band immediately establishes a unique and original voice on its self-titled debut CD.

Songwriter and vocalist Cody Farrar sings lead and plays guitar, setting a strong presence for the band from northern Mississippi. All 12 tunes here are originals, which is a brave statement from any band. Here, the material ranges from powerful, clever songs like “The Ghost Song,” “Kentucky To Caroline,” and “Fire Mountain” to other tunes that come across as derivative like “Other Plans,” “On Home,” and “Letter From An Angel.” For the most part, however, Farrar gets his songwriting right here, taking well-worn bluegrass themes and usually adding an interesting lyrical twist that makes it seem fresh and new.

Instrumentally, the band is on solid ground with every player having a good technical base and strong sense of playing in an ensemble. Taken as a whole the band sounds really good. Vocally, it’s the same, with Farrar handling lead vocal duties with aplomb and style. In many ways, his singing seems better suited to straight country than bluegrass, but it certainly fits the material here. And the backup vocals from bassist Britt Sheffield and banjo player Thelton Vanderford merge to give Breaking Grass a solid, cohesive band sound.

For a new band trying to make a name for itself, this effort stands out as a worthy effort based on the more imaginative of Farrar’s original tunes. Built on good instrumental and vocal work, the band creates a pleasant and effective sound that will convert many new listeners to fans. If they can get a strong producer to help refine their sound and weed out some of the weaker material, while building more arresting arrangements and generating more up-tempo excitement, this could be a band to watch in the future. (www.breakinggrass.com) DJM

CAHALEN MORRISON & ELI WEST
THE HOLY COMING OF THE STORM
Hearth Music
No Number

Add a layer of gritty LP or 78 rpm surface noise to these tracks and voilà, Cahalen Morrison’s and Eli West’s The Holy Coming Of The Storm might pass as a newly rediscovered old-time duo from the early years of bluegrass. One thing, though, that might make you wonder is that, while the music is comfortingly familiar, there are few familiarities—12 of the 14 songs are originals by Morrison (one co-written with West).

Morrison and West hail from Washington State, and even if they might be more familiar with the geography of the Cascade Mountains, their sound is deeply reminiscent of the Appalachians. They’re augmented by fiddler Ryan Drickey, bassist Eric Thorn, banjoist (on one cut) Aaron Youngberg, and producer Matt Flinner’s tenor guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki. Besides their unpolished and accurate, appealing singing, Morrison and West (collectively) play guitar, clawhammer banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, and lap slide guitar.

The themes of these original songs will be familiar to all old-time and traditional bluegrass lovers, as will their approach. Soloing is clean, but always at the service of the tune, and even the handful of instrumentals hew close to the old-timey ethos of feeling before flash. But, there’s nothing self-consciously “retro” here. This sounds like the music they love to sing and play, and Morrison and West do so beautifully. (Hearth Music, 14879 6th Ave. NE, Shoreline, WA 98155, www.cahalenandeli.com.) DR

CHERYL J. WATSON
WATERTOWN
No Label
No Number

Labeling Florida singer-songwriter Cheryl Watson’s debut a bluegrass release is open to debate. Given the ever-expanding state of contemporary bluegrass, you could make an argument for including it, and certainly four tracks do feature the banjo. That said, her 13-song CD (12 originals) is too diverse to be labeled one way or the other, except by that broad heading Americana. More than anything, she reminds me of Nancy Griffith, though with a bluesier, deeper voice. “Here Comes My Only Heartache,” a song in which she remembers an early-but-failed true love, has Griffith all over it, particularly the “Love At The Five And Dime”-like melody.

Like Griffith, she has a great ear for melody, ideas, and for turn-of-phrase. In the aforementioned “Here Comes…,” she ponders being married but only being able to give half her love to her husband. “Hurricane Of Trouble” finds her equating an old love to the title, while in “What I Stand To Lose” she seems to be asking, “What is the cost of love?” Forgotten old men. A woman believing she’ll leave millwork but who never does. Another woman leaving behind a husband with a drinking problem. Watson illuminates them all with heartfelt lyrics and emotional performances, and cloaks them in a wide variety of styles. Some swing in a bluesy mode, such as “I’ll Learn To Live With The Blues.” Others have a slight Spanish tinge (“The Old Man Next Door”) or a folk feel (“All The Things I Used To Feel”) or a slow, watery, arpeggiated guitar setting (several). She also includes two instrumentals: “Beaumont Rag” on which she takes a light, chime-like mandolin solo punctuated by a bluesy chorded passage in the stop-time section and “When In Drought Blues” a modal, moody duet with guitarist Gabe Valla. All in all, an impressive debut. (The Music Tree, 450-106 SR 13, #109, St. Johns, FL 32259, www.musicgrowshere.com.) BW

CROWE ON THE BANJO:
THE MUSIC LIFE OF J.D. CROWE
BY MARTY GODBEY
University of Illinois Press
978-00252-07825-5

The publication of this book by the respected University of Illinois Press as part of their Music In American Life series is a major event for three reasons: 1.) It’s a captivating and comprehensive biography of a bluegrass artist who has had—and still has—a profound influence on the music 2.) It’s a wide-angle look at the second generation of bluegrass artists 3.) It’s the magnum opus of Marty Godbey, a much-loved and highly-respected writer who unexpectedly passed away in December 2010.

Godbey interviewed Crowe and many of his contemporaries and bandmembers at length over several years. She first heard him live in 1968 with her husband, Frank Godbey (who also lovingly shepherded this book to publication after Marty’s passing), and interviewed Crowe many times between 1976 and 2010. He participated willingly and openly and said to Godbey before starting, “If we’re going to do this thing, we need to do it right.” It tells in the honesty, detail, and confidence of the prose.

What brings out the complexity of the man is how Godbey puts Crowe into the context of his generation—the interplay of musicians joining and leaving bands at a time when the music itself was changing rapidly with every new configuration. Especially interesting is Crowe’s years with Jimmy Martin, whom Crowe describes as a great teacher. Undoubtedly, Crowe was also a great student and carried on those lessons of timing, hard work, and professionalism into his own bands, the Kentucky Mountain Boys and then the New South.

This book should also revive interest in the Larry Rice/Bobby Slone/Doyle Lawson and J.D. Crowe band that set the stage for the great 1975 New South of Slone, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas immortalized on Rounder 0044. And Godbey is eloquent in describing the venues around Lexington, Ky., (Martin’s, the Holiday Inn, the Sheraton) and the atmosphere of the times.

Crowe’s banjo playing has been recognized and awarded, but what is intriguing here is just how great a bandleader he was and is—guiding, and furthering the careers of so many bluegrass artists, and adjusting and developing his sound through all the changes. Once he started his own band, Crowe put as much work into being a good bandleader as he did in learning Scruggs licks as a boy.

Godbey does not assume in her readers a knowledge of bluegrass, but nor does she over-simplify the music and the personalities. In fact, she’s at her best in describing the sound and impact of Earl Scruggs on Crowe and that whole generation coming to it by seeing live performances and listening to the radio. Today, we sometimes assume that everyone after Earl picked like Earl, but consider the wide diversity of styles in that second generation of Crowe, Sonny Osborne, Don Reno, Eddie Adcock, and others. They had no tablature to work from and brought themselves to the sound, transforming it into their own styles.

Finally, reading this book is a chance for those of us who knew Marty to spend some time with her voice again. Her directness graces this book, as her grace directed it. I’ll come back to this book again and again, not only to get a subtle, nuanced look at a great artist and his time, but to hear Marty again, reminding us by example that great writing about bluegrass can be as thrilling as the music itself. (University Of Ill. Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, www.press.uillinois.edu.) CVS

DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE
SO MUCH IN BETWEEN
Mountain Home Music
MH13612

Anyone who might have heard cuts from the debut, self-titled album from Darin and Brooke Aldridge and wondered, “Who are they?” needs to go ahead and get acquainted with the self-styled “Sweethearts Of Bluegrass.” You’re going to be hearing their names a lot.

The newlywed duo got a lot of airtime with the single “The Sweetest Waste Of Time” off the first album, but their follow up, So Much In Between, provides listeners with a strong lineup from top to bottom, beginning with “Lonely Ends Where Love Begins,” “We’re In This Love Together,” and “That’s Just Me Lovin’ You.” Listeners will find out quickly this is one CD that you can put in the player and then forget to change it out, as the songs roll by easy and smooth, and some time later you find you’re on the third tracking. You certainly will not need the skip button on your disc player. If their debut effort put the Aldridges on the map, So Much In Between may be the launching pad for a major breakout.

Darin Aldridge provides solid vocal presence and great harmonies. However, without a doubt, it is Brooke’s clear, rich, fresh voice that makes this CD stand apart. If this album is any indication, it won’t be long before Brooke finds her name on industry award nominations for Female Vocalist Of The Year. Strong work is not only shown on the aforementioned songs, but also on “He’s Already There” and “Wildflower.” You may find yourself being reminded of legend Patty Loveless after hearing “Things In Life.”

A solid backing band and stellar production (as well as some songwriting) from veteran Jerry Salley makes the album a must-have for those who appreciate modern bluegrass/southern gospel with a nod to the past. There’s even a tune, “Our Little World,” by the First Couple of bluegrass songwriting, Tom T. and Dixie Hall, evidence that the Aldridges have a bright future.

An aspect of production that is probably overlooked in all types of music is the ordering of the songs on an album. This effort could be used in a classroom as the model for “How To.” Listeners have no choice but to be drawn in with well-paced, balanced vocals on the first third of the disc. Songwriter Lisa Shaffer shines, as she authored or co-authored all four cuts. Salley had a hand in two of those and two others as well.

If you want a CD that covers love and gospel, this is a can’t miss. It is extremely hard to find something to not like about this sophomore effort from the Aldridges. Traditionalists will find a true bluegrass instrumental touch, gospel fans will love the message, and others will appreciate the freshness of the vocals and harmony. Crossroads Music has added yet another thoroughbred group to a stable that already includes chart-toppers and award-winners such as Balsam Range and the Boxcars. (Crossroads Music, P.O. Box Box 829, Arden, NC 28704, www.crossroadsmusic.com.) MB

DEHLIA LOW
RAVENS AND CROWS
Rebel Records
REB-CD-1842

Dehlia Low, favorites of the Asheville area roots music scene since their formation in 2007, are anything but a traditional bluegrass band. They don’t even include the banjo. Yet Dehlia Low combines mountain-inflected vocals and bluegrass harmonies with more modern picking style into music that successfully crosses genre boundaries without losing touch with their bluegrass roots. Their original lyrics, while generally dealing with modern, lost love themes, reflects the style of traditional folk-song. Especially on the first three tracks, the quintet produces an original sound that fits with traditional bluegrass.

The lead off track, “State Of Jefferson,” one of five strong songs by fiddler Anya Hinkle, comes across unmistakably as bluegrass even without the five-string. Aaron Ballance’s resonator guitar fills the musical void quite well and keeps the band at just one instrumentalist playing rolls. Her lyrics, however, deal with running away to California at age 17. As much as the title track, “Going Down” (also composed by Hinkle) demonstrates the band’s bluegrass vocal chops as well as her ability to write new lyrics that sound ancient: That man I found/Don’t you know that man I found/Gives me sugar and honey by the pound/Took me downtown/Bought me a white wedding gown/That man I found/Gives me sugar and honey by the pound.

Hinkle from Blacksburg, Va., and guitarist Stacy Claude, originally from Atlanta, Ga., assembled Dehlia Low with musicians from around the South East: bassman Greg Stiglets from Mississippi, Ballance from Winston-Salem, and West Virginia mandolinist Bryan Clendenin. All but Balance sing. Stiglets provides four songs, confidently kicking off “Thunder” with lyrics audacious for the roots music world even in 2011: Listen up here boys, it’s gonna be hell to find a savior/When I’ve used up all the favors/That I had with my lord/Voices comin here will take me under/I know prayin used to help, but Lord, God I’m starting to wonder

Stiglets’ denser lyrics carry Dehlia Low more in an Americana direction than do Hinkle’s songs, without ever losing the band’s distinctive sound nor its traditional feel. After kicking off the band with an uptempo bluegrass track, the five finish the compact disc with a serious reading of the “Cannonball Blues,” the Carter Family’s adaptation of “White House Blues.”

Ravens & Crows proves a breakthrough in the first outing on Rebel Records, fulfilling the promise suggested on their self-titled debut EP, a live album, and especially last year’s full length studio project, Tellico. Unlike most young ensembles with this abundance of talent and versatility, Dehlia Low maintains a consistent band sound from one style to the next. All dozen tracks sound like the same powerful band. That is a significant accomplishment, showcased beautifully on Ravens & Crows, produced by the Infamous Stringdusters’ Travis Book. (Rebel Records, P.O. Box 7405, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.rebelrecords.com.) AM

DELLA MAE
I BUILT THIS HEART
No Label
No Number

Once upon a time, all-female bluegrass and old-time bands were a rarity, as each era produced a challenge to a male-dominated style—the Coon Creek Girls, the Any Old Time String Band, the Buffalo Gals, the All-Girl Boys, and more paved the way for equality and acceptance.

Boston’s Della Mae has taken things a quiet step further with all women guest artists and composers as well, augmenting their talented quartet [currently a quintet] with a guest roster including Laurie Lewis, Alison Brown, and Brittany Haas, and filling out a slate of original tunes with covers of songs penned by Hazel Dickens (“My Heart’s Own Love”) and Cousin Emmy (“Bowling Green.”)

Truthfully, except perhaps for taking note of another historical barrier quietly falling, there’s no reason to mention anything but how good an album this is. Lead singer Celia Woodsmith’s voice has a bluesy growl that proves adaptable to the driving numbers “Jamie Dear” and “From The Bottle,” while lending an urgency and authenticity to themes of losing love and losing control. But the power of her voice loses nothing on the gently sultry ballad “The Most” and shines the strongest on the powerful closing track, “Ballad Of A Lonely Woman,” where the spare accompaniment of Kimber Ludiker’s and Brittany Haas’s fiddles create a timeless [and almost Scandinavian] setting for her moving vocals.

Ludiker, mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner, and bassist Amanda Kowalski, joined by guest (and newest recruit) Courtney Hartman on guitar, lend great support throughout, playing with fire, but not overwhelming the songs. And that’s ideal, because it’s the fine body of original material that Della Mae presents that will really get audiences interested and keep them coming back for more. (www.heyheydellamae.com.) HK

ERNIE MARTINEZ
BLUE RANGE
No Label
EM 2011

Each region of the country still retains some reflection of its original settlers and something of a regional flavor that marks their lifestyle. Martinez is from Colorado and his music is strongly influenced by the presence of the cowboy and elements of the “western” of country-and-western and by western swing. This results in a bluegrass recording with a distinctly different feel. Take the opening cut “Along The Navajo Trail,” it starts out swinging, then morphs into an all-out bluegrass piece.

The program is varied and there are some great numbers from the cowboy genre including “The Old Double Diamond,” “Night Rider’s Lament,” “Red River Valley,” “Ride ’Em Cowboy,” and “Streets Of Laredo.” This is a labor of love for Martinez as he plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, and resonator guitar, as well as sings the leads and some of the harmonies. He is accompanied by various singers on most cuts and some fiddlers on others. Otherwise, this is his show.

Featuring an interesting and unique approach to bluegrass, this is a strong effort by a regional artist. It works nicely and makes for a good concept album. (Ernie Martinez, 2606 S. Miller Dr. #101, Lakewood, CO 80227.) RCB

JUNIOR SISK AND RAMBLERS CHOICE
THE HEART OF A SONG
Rebel Records
REB-CD-1845

Up front, Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice make their feelings abundantly clear. Opening their third Rebel CD with a Tim Massey/Rick Pardue/Junior Sisk composition, “A Far Cry From Lester And Earl,” they more or less lay it out there, declaring that bluegrass is nothing like it was in the past and wondering how long it will last. Such songs of concern are common in musics of all types, but this one has some clever hooks, both in the wording (We’re way down below that high, lonesome sound) and in the construction (using lines and melody from well-known songs for the second verse, and riding out on “Home, Sweet Home”).

Having made their declaration, Sisk and the band proceed through 12 more cuts that, with the exception of the country-rock colorings of “The Sound Of Your Name,” remain rooted strongly in the traditional sound. “Another Man’s Arms” is a prisoner’s lament song done fast and classic. Two others, “Sea Of Regret” and “String, Eraser And Blotter” recall the three-quarter-time Stanley sound. “String, Eraser And Blotter” is the more colorful and the more interesting of the two, the objects mentioned in the title being things the singer needs to get over a lost love. “Thankful For Each Day,” sung as an a cappella quartet, is the lone gospel tune and a good one, while “Ariadne” is Billy Hawks’ old-sounding fiddle composition. The recording also includes the aforementioned poetic and slow country tune “The Sound Of Your Name” (with guest Rhonda Vincent and a nifty key change in the chorus) and Tom T. and Dixie Hall’s humorous and morbid ballad “The Grave Robber,” both of which, along with “String, Eraser And Blotter” and “A Far Cry From Lester And Earl,” are highlight picks.

With this recording, Sisk continues creating fine traditional-based bluegrass and continues strengthening the Ramblers Choice sound. Both of those things are a great positive to the traditional wing of bluegrass. (Rebel Records, P.O. Box 7405, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.rebelrecords.com.) BW

MOUNTAIN FAITH
SAVE ME
Mountain Home Music
MH13402

Mountain Faith has a story that embodies an important niche in bluegrass music—the family band. The group started as so many have, with parents attending a festival, someone getting an instrument as a gift and the next thing you know, the fever has taken over and church and small local festival gigs become something to do. What helps separate these stories is the presence to add good musicians regardless of whether they are related, and of course, talent. Both counts come through on the gospel debut from Mountain Faith, Save Me.

If you’re going to play for the gospel crowd, you better have some vocal chops, and Summer Brooke McMahan takes the lead on most of the songs and runs with them, giving no indication she is still in her teens. She gives the all-gospel CD a strong start on “Morning’s Coming” and later on “Save Me,” arguably the best cut on the project. It’s a safe bet that no one grew up singing “Love Lifted Me” at the breakneck speed the band does, but it is a bold take on an old standard.

If Summer’s vocals grab your attention, it is hard to miss the driving, traditional banjo playing of brother Brayden McMahan. Brayden’s kickoff on “Welcome Home” is first-rate, and his backup throughout is well-styled and tasteful. Paul Harrigill on mandolin and John Morgan on guitar round out a very professional sound. If you’re going to do a gospel album, it doesn’t hurt to have a Southern Gospel Hall of Fame member as your producer and bassist/resnotar guitar player in Balsam Range’s Tim Surrett. Summer and Brayden’s dad, Sam McMahan, who plays bass for the group on live appearances, is not on the recording.

The group has recently worked dates with Barry Scott and Save Me shows potential to get them on the bluegrass gospel stage in their right. (Crossroads Music, P.O. Box Box 829, Arden, NC 28704, www.crossroadsmusic.com.) MB

NEWTOWN
No Label
No Number

NewTown is the self-titled, first offering from this Lexington, Ky., band. The group features veterans Kati Penn-Williams (Dale Ann Bradley Band) and former NewFound Road founding member Junior Williams. With solid efforts from the Williams, as well as C.J. Cain on guitar, James Kee on mandolin and Terry Poirier on bass, NewTown is sure to find its place among fans of such groups as NewFound Road, the now defunct Cadillac Sky, the Infamous Stringdusters, et al—a more contemporary bluegrass style.

Standout cuts on the album begin with a nice take on “Angeline The Baker” called “Angelita.” “Cold Iron Door” would be a solid pick for a single release to gather appeal on the airwaves. The group’s gospel offering “The Stone Was Rolled Away” does tip to the traditional with solid harmonies and “Flora, Lily Of The West” certainly has Junior’s stamp all over it. (NewTown, P.O. Box 23238, Lexington, KY, 43523, www.thenewtownband.com) MB

PHARIS AND JASON ROMERO
PASSING GLIMPSE
Lula Records
Lula1102

Banjo maker, Jason Romero and his wife, Pharis, mine the depths of old-time country music in style and substance. They deliver their message in clear and direct voices in their singing and writing. Pharis sings in a style and voice similar to Gillian Welch but more forceful. Jason plays a wide range of guitars and banjos. His command of the banjo is immediately obvious. His guitar playing is tasteful and precise. They live in the old songs, making them new and their own as in “Hillbilly Blues” a version of the old classic “Hesitation Blues” from Uncle Dave Macon. Interestingly, in their approach to old-time with a timeless touch, the banjo is as often fingerpicked instead of clawhammer. They recast Leadbelly’s “Out On The Western Plains” to sound like something Dock Boggs might have done, had he listened to Belà Fleck.

For fans of fine duet singing, get this CD. These folks know the genre and have an uncanny blend that melds into one voice. The songs they write blend with the traditional material. They mold the voices and instruments together to make the old material their own. Everything takes on an introspective and searching quality, dreamlike yet real. Each piece here is a living breathing being and not some rote reiteration of a static piece. Their readings of Karl and Hartys “I’m Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail” and Dottie Rambo’s “It’s Me Again Lord” learned from the Cooke Duo take on a new dimension from their readings. They visit Uncle Dave again for “Wait Till The Clouds Roll By” and the Carter Family for “Engine 143,” ranging from tender to train wrecks, mining the depth of emotions that are contained herein.

Pharis wrote four of the songs here and co-wrote one, “Forsaken Love,” with Jason. The material ranges in content and captures deeply held convictions. As in “Only Gold,” she digs to the truth of a situation and explores the impacts of decision made by the few for the many. The exploration of ideas, in words and music makes this a recording that draws the listener in and opens up the mind and ear to new things. Subtly is the byword. “My Flowers, My Companions And Me” is sung with the banjo played three-finger style and then reprised at the end of the recording as an instrumental played clawhammer on the banjo by Jason with Pharis’s sensitive accompaniment on guitar. The words can be heard in the banjo, the banjo that bounces along and fades away.(LuLu Records, P.O. Box 124, Horsefly, BC, V0L 1L0 Canada, www.jasonandpharis.com.) RCB

RODNEY DILLARD & THE DILLARD BAND
FEATURING BEVERLY DILLARD
DON’T WAIT FOR THE HEARSE TO TAKE YOU TO CHURCH
Rural Rhythm
RCH 2010

This recording is a highly-produced, mainstream gospel program featuring top-notch pickers and the singing of Rodney and Beverly Dillard. This is part of their mission, Mayberry Values Ministries, which they are taking on the road across the country to share the values they feel are inherent in the legacy of that television utopia. The music is all very well done with more than a touch of the Nashville pop sounds that fill the country airwaves these days. A strong program of popular sacred numbers makes up the bulk of this recording. “Leaning On The Everlasting Arms,” “Gospel Ship,” featuring Beverly’s clawhammer banjo, “Somebody Touched Me” and “Heaven” all ring with the certainty of faith unfailing.

There are ten sacred numbers here, all with an upbeat message, performed with flawless aplomb. There are four bonus tracks averaging just less than one minute each. Each one makes a simple point about living a good life with an analogous reference to some event in an Andy Griffith Show plot. This recording will appeal to fans of classic gospel music and the old television shows. (Rural Rhythm, P.O. Box 660040, Dept. D, Arcadia, CA 91066, www.ruralrhythm.com.) RCB

RUSSELL JOHNSON
ANYTIME, ANYPLACE BUT ONLY YOU
New Time Records
NT 1012

Veteran mandolinist/singer/songwriter Russell Johnson has as distinct a voice as any in bluegrass, forceful, clear, and piercing. That voice is fully on display, along with his considerable songwriting ability and mandolin skills on this his first solo project—a varied, tuneful, and welcome collection of twelve songs and one instrumental.

Seven of those thirteen are his own (or co-written) originals, including the opener, “Anytime, Anyplace, But Only You,” a song that simply exudes ear-catching quality all through. Openers scarcely come any better. Taken at a brisk pace, the track has a breezy, joyful sense about it, with Johnson laying out a virtual laundry list of what he’d do or where he’d go just to be with the object of his affection. Name the time or place, he’ll be there. Following it with a cover of Paul Williams’s Monroe-like “My Brown-Eyed Darlin” makes for a powerful one-two start.

Almost as good as “Anytime…” are his “It’s My Heart,” “I Need To Know,” and “Together Forever.” All three are of the slow, country variety, the first focused on love’s ending, love’s confusion, and love’s positives. The first two, being more emotional subject-wise, make the best use of Johnson’s vocal power, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.

Johnson then turns to covers, four being drawn from the pop music world and here given bluegrass treatments. Johnson’s high vocal range and his ability to sing smooth proves a plus. Be it the “This Love” (by the group Maroon 5) or the tribute to the “Strength Of A Woman” (by Shaggy) or the wonderful latin-tinged “Sway” (a hit for Dean Martin), his voice is adaptable and convincing.

Backed superbly by 19 musicians, including one track with New Vintage and one with the Grass Cats, Anytime, Anyplace, But Only You is a successful, entertaining set of songs. (New Time Records, 4262 Old School Rd., Four Oaks, NC 27524, www.newtimerecords.com.) BW

SHENANDOAH DRIVE
OLD DIRT ROAD
No Label
No Number

Shenandoah Drive hails from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and features Danny Seabolt on guitar, Dave Kirk on mandolin, Gary Reed on bass, Chris King on banjo, and the entire ensemble on vocals. Mason Wright guests on this release and provides fiddle throughout. The band plays average, but solid traditional bluegrass here, featuring a number of originals (seven of the twelve cuts here) penned or co-authored by lead singer Seabolt. The harmonies blend nicely, there is good instrumental support (especially from Chris King’s banjo), and Wright’s fiddle work is very good. Highlights of this release include Pete Goble and Leroy Drumm’s “Back To Dixie” (recorded many years back by the McPeakes), Carter Stanley’s “Our Last Goodbye,” and Billy Henson’s “It’s A Lonesome Feeling,” which is done at a nice slow soulful pace that lets Seabolt’s lead vocal and the harmonies shine.

One element that would have improved this release would be stronger overall material. The group sings and plays at a level that dictates they can (and should) be very particular about the material they work with. While most of the rest of the material here is adequate, it doesn’t really do the band’s ability any justice. There are a few too many cliché phrases, a few lines that don’t really hang together (I can’t wait to go to sleep/I can’t wait to close my eyes/Like a little boy at the county fair/Who just won his first prize), and some themes that many may have a hard time relating to (paving an old dirt road with mud-holes may be a change that most listeners would see as not being quite on par with the loss of an old friend or the old homeplace). Overall, this is a solid effort by a band that has the potential to do much more with the right material. (Shenandoah Drive, 265 Woodward Rd., Sperryville, VA 22740, www.shenandoahdrive.com.) AW

VARIOUS ARTISTS
FANNING THE FIRE: BLUEGRASS FOR A NEW GENERATION

Bluegrass Heritage Foundation
No Number

You will be enthused about bluegrass after you see this documentary from the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation. Of course, if you’re reading BU, you’re already enthused about bluegrass, but seeing and hearing the shear joy and energy of 16-year-old Lucas White, the film’s primary focus, will give you (as it did me) an added boost, maybe make you reach for your guitar or banjo again, or double the number of festivals you attend.

For twenty minutes or so (with the interviews and extras, the film runs about an hour), the cameras follow White as he moves about a festival in Texas, plays his guitar alone or with his band back and onstage, listens to other players, explains what drew him to and what he gets from bluegrass, and bubbles over about his plans for a career in the music, which given his missionary zeal and his burgeoning talent as a picker, is on a good track. Interspersed in usual documentary fashion are brief and general comments about the bluegrass experience from performers, producers and promoters, along with longer interviews with legends such as J.D. Crowe and Rhonda Vincent and with rising stars such as the Toy Hearts. We get a little history and a look or two behind the scenes of bluegrass life and the festivals. This is a film made primarily for introducing bluegrass to the young and to a wider audience—you can’t watch it without being lifted. (Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, 1601 Elm St., Ste. 4000, Dallas, TX 75201, www.bluegrassheritage.org.) BW

TOMMY WEBB
FROM ROCK-N-ROLL TO BILL MONROE
No Label
No Number

Give credit to Tommy Webb. He has a way with titles when it comes to picking songs and albums. Following up an album with a song titled “If It Weren’t For Bluegrass Music (I’d Go Crazy),” his latest offering is From Rock-N-Roll To Bill Monroe.

The former title got the Kentucky native Webb some serious action on the BU chart as well as several others in 2010. This is his fourth album in the last six years and is loaded with solid music as well as production values. Super group the Boxcars has fingerprints all over the CD—IBMA’s only multi-instrumental winner, Ron Stewart, produced the project and provided fiddle, banjo, and guitar help; legendary mandolinist Adam Steffey added his instrumental touch; and underrated bass man Harold Nixon kept time on the upright. Webb’s road band is solid in its own right with Chris Goble on banjo, Jarod Doss on mandolin and harmony vocals; and Josh Huff on bass and harmony vocals.

Fans of Webb will be well pleased with the dozen songs and familiar with the sound the guitarist has established over the years. He puts a nice touch on standards such as “High Lonesome” and his rhythmic touch on clawhammer banjo for “Shady Grove” gives listeners a fresh take on a jam session favorite.

However, it is the original tunes that stand apart on this project. The Stewart penned “Time Stands Still,” the title cut written by Webb as well as his other song, “Cold Heart, Cold Feet” certainly distinguish themselves as potential singles. The Alan Johnston written “Mont Coal, W.V.,” about the 29 miners who died in an accident in April 2010, will remind even the most casual observer of ballads from other genres, along the lines of “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Up to this point, despite some respectable airplay of a few selected songs, Webb has probably been considered a mostly regional act. “From Rock-N-Roll To Bill Monroe,” with great production values, strong song selection, well-known studio musicians and distinct vocals may very well serve as the album that puts Webb onto a much larger stage. (www.thetommywebbband.com) MB

VARIOUS ARTISTS
THE 1861 PROJECT, VOLUME 1: FROM FARMERS TO FOOT SOLDIERS
Cohesion Arts
No Number

There’s something about a love for bluegrass music that also tends to draw those with a love and appreciation for history. And there’s something about history that is heightened by an outsider’s perspective.

This intriguing project is the creation of songwriter Thomm Jutz, whose current role as touring guitarist for Nanci Griffith belies his roots growing up in southern Germany. His dedication to delving through American history developed both from a distance, so to speak, and from his current dwelling in Tennessee. A fixation on the Civil War eventually led to this collection of 17 songs written with numerous collaborators, including Stan Webb, Irene Kelley, Mark Fain, and Jon Weisberger. These pieces were then crafted in a variety of bluegrass, folk, and Americana settings, drawing on vocalists such as Paul Brewster, Marty Stuart, John Anderson, Chris Jones, Dana Cooper, and several more.

Variety is indeed the key word here, because somehow Jutz manages to keep himself out of the way of the stories he tells and instead lets the poignancy and humanity of his songs’ characters take center stage. The album uses an impressive array of perspectives: a lover left behind (“Old Before Our Time”); an Irish immigrant conscripted into battle (“Eyes”); a dying soldier (“Soldier’s Dream”); a witness to surrender (“Greater Gentlemen”); or a disenchanted veteran trying to make sense of it all (“Southland”). Jutz and his cohorts assemble an impressively rich and diverse mosaic of a time when the character of America was cracked open and its humanity was fully exposed.

Given that this is labeled as only volume one, we can only hope that Jutz continues to mine the deep veins of this era for more musical and personal stories that reveal much about who we are now from those who suffered before us. (Cohesion Arts, 2809 Blair Blvd., Nashville, TN 37212, www.1861project.com.) HK

VARIOUS ARTISTS
CHRISTMAS ALONG THE CROOKED ROAD
No Label
No Number

There are, of course, no bad Christmas records, just varying degrees of quality between those that are all-time classics and those that are enjoyable. The sense of the season and the associations and themes the songs recall dictate such. A classic Christmas recording would be Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” An enjoyable recording would be any that are not classics. Christmas Along The Crooked Road falls somewhere in the middle—not of classic status but more than just enjoyable.

The album’s title comes from the inclusion of musicians who all live in Southwest Virginia or Northwest North Carolina. Guitarist Gerald Anderson, singer Helen White, fiddler Jimmy Edmonds, guitarist Wayne Henderson, banjoist Steve Lewis, pianist Jeff Little, bassist Josh Scott, mandolinist Spencer Strickland, and the Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc., are featured and each get at least one track as a leader. Anderson gets three and White contributes two. All but White’s two tracks (one a gentle, folk-tinged original, “Christmas Promise,” the other an eighteenth century tune, “Christmas Lullaby”) are Christmas standards of the “Deck The Halls”/“Silent Night”/“Blue Christmas”/“Away In The Manger” variety.

What gives the collection a lift beyond just enjoyable are Wesley Easter’s warm and clear production and the nice variety of vocal and instrumental settings, settings that run from the full traditional bluegrass of “Deck The Halls” and “Joy To The World,” to Strickland’s swing mandolin on “Winter Wonderland” and from the fingerpicked guitar and vocal cover of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to Little’s “Take Five”-like piano version of “What Child Is This.” Ending with Edmonds’ lyrical fiddle on “Away In The Manger” brings it all back to the true spirit of the season. (Crooked Road, 605 McArthur St., Galax, VA 24333, www.christmasalongthecrookedroad.com.) BW

TUSSEY MOUNTAIN MOONSHINERS
I’M GOING HOME
No Label, No Number

From smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners leap off the first track with a hard-charging version of “Hello City Limits” that would make Country Gazette proud. Winners of the 2010 DelFest band competition, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners exude rich talent, enthusiasm, energy, and a wide knowledge of string music with seven nice original pieces (four by Gwen Stimely and a pair from Bryan Homan) as a bonus.

All five members sing lead or harmony, except for guitarist Paul Brigman, giving the Moonshiners a wealth of vocal ensemble combinations. Ten of the thirteen tracks comprising I’m Going Home are vocal numbers. The band manages seven different trios and quartets with four lead singers: banjoist Stimely, guitarist/fiddler Stephen Buckalew, bassman Homan, and Karin Hastings on mandolin, guitar, and fiddle.

Every single cut proves enjoyable. The issue is that the CD comes across as more a collection of good songs and tunes than a coherent album. Self-produced, its sequencing seems like that of a fine stage set rather than a recording project. With admirably equal skill, authenticity, and enthusiasm, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, named for where Buckalew grew up, move from bluegrass to old-time to folk/Americana. You’d never know the bluegrass band on “I’ll Just Around” is the string band playing “Rock Andy.”

This abundance of riches, however, has not yet gelled into a Moonshiner sound that carries over from one style to another and one song to the next. By shaping the diversity into a focused method to approach a variety of material with the help of an outside producer, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners can unleash the potential heard here. (Tussey Mountain Moonshiners, 1212 Pine Cir., Bellefonte, PA 16823, www.tusseymountainmoonshiners.com.) AM

STEFAN COLIND
THE STRINGS ALIVE PROJECT
Strings Alive Music
STRINGS 001

Danish composer, mandolinist and banjoist Stefan Colind has played in a range of bands including Train 45, Sugar Hill, and the New York City Cowfreaks since 1994, but The Strings Alive Project seems to be his first solo release. With 14 tracks, this “tribute to bluegrass and acoustic folk music” clocks in at 54 minutes of fresh melodies and crisp arrangements.

“A Touch Of Sam” is a pleasant homage to presumably Mr. Bush, with Colind’s banjo eloquently echoing the themes first stated by his mandolin, while “Losing The Mill” is an apt tribute to the styles of Vassar Clements and Bill Monroe. Colind even takes a stab at Chris Thile’s style with the brisk “Off To Camp.” Though there are obvious influences that manifest in Colind’s playing, there are a wide range of original sounds as well, from “Waltz Of Wishes,” a lilting mix of classical and country, to the simple, unadorned beauty of “April Blossom.” “Longing For The Sea” evokes a feeling of just that, with a slight nod to “How Great Thou Art.”

The album-closing “Out Of Nowhere,” an Irish-tinged tune that shifts from ethereal to sunny, features sparse but essential vocal impressions from Linda Gravesen and bodhran from Martin O’Hare. Also, joining Colind are Jesper Rubner-Petersen on guitar, Thomas Haglund on fiddle, Emil Meinild and Jan Ekman on resonator guitar, Nicolaj Wamberg, and Jimmy Sunnebrandt on bass. (Stefan Colind, Vendalsgaard 8, DK-2690, Karlslunde, Denmark, www.strings-alive.dk.) AKH

SPRING CREEK
HOLD ON ME
No Label, No Number

Starting with Hot Rize and Front Range, Colorado has a long tradition of bluegrass bands with unique identities based on great vocals, interesting original material and strong instrumental skills. To that list, we can now add Spring Creek, which like its namesake rises cool and clear from the headlands of the Rocky Mountains to deliver a refreshing drink of cool, clear music pleasure.

Brimming with great original material and a fresh sound and style, Spring Creek won’t necessarily appeal to bluegrass traditionalists. But like Infamous Stringdusters banjo star Chris Pandolfi wrote for IBMA in his keynote address, the whole genre is growing and expanding because bands like his, the Avett Brothers, and others are deliberating expanding their approach to songwriting, instrumentation and vocals to create their own unique personae within the style. For those who like their bluegrass with a unique twist, Spring Creek will sound like just the ticket.

Taylor Sims writes a large portion of the material, which he delivers in a laconic, rock-influenced vocal delivery. The title tune, in particular, has a funky groove and an almost Motown feel to its structure that makes it instantly catchy and memorable. Sims also contributes some very powerful flatpicking guitar to the band. Mandolinist and fiddler Alex Johnstone brings an intensity and fire to the band, both in his playing and his songwriting, which he shares with Sims on tunes like “See Me On.” You can really hear the impact of Rocky Mountain-based jam bands in his work, instantly giving his a strong musical identity. Banjo player Chris Elliott lays down wonderful lines and also contributes original material like the strongly swinging “C-Bob Swing” and the rocking closing number, “Kimono Cowboy.” And Dan Booth adds excellent bass and vocals, bringing a cool original called “I’ll Bet It All” to the band’s repertoire.

Not content to laying out strong originals, the band even re-imagines “With Body And Soul” as a funked out, rock-style tune that works surprisingly well. It’s just part of an approach to the music that never completely forgets their roots, but always pushes the musical envelope to find something unique and new to say.

Hold On Me, with its exquisite production work by the multi-talented Sally Van Meter, is a very strong piece of work from a band with a great future. Spring Creek may never win the hearts and minds of bluegrass loyalists, but with the boundaries of the style spreading as new young fans and players come under bluegrass music’s spell, this is one band that could play a key role in the music’s future prosperity and growth. (www.springcreekbluegrassband.com) DJM