"Crying Heart Blues" - Audie Blaylock and Redline - A Review

Audie Blaylock's second CD from Rural Rhythm Records is a very warm sounding affair. Blaylock sings a lot of Bluegrass ballads with three and four part harmonies. His four member band sounds very sweet and the banjo's and vocals are so warm.

Blaylock produces this with help of recording engineer Scott Vestal. Vestal recorded the band at Digital Underground in Greenbriar, Tenn. Mastering was done by Benny Quinn Mastering, in Franklin , Tenn.

The songs were written by a wide variety of well known and some not so well known, but talented song writers. Blaylock is a talented acoustic guitar player and plays all guitar, both lead and rhythm. There is a live feel to the disc, as it is not a bunch of layers of guitars. Sounds like there was minimal overdubbing done.

Evan Ward plays banjo and helps out with vocals. He is an excellent player that has a very fluid style with some neat bends once in awhile.

Patrick McAvinue plays fiddle, mandolin and also helps out with vocals. Finally, we have Matt Wallace on Bass and vocals. This guy is an excellent acoustic bass player.

This disc showcases different parts of Haynie's band's talents. "Pray The Clouds Away" (J Martin, P Williams) is a beautiful slow gospel quartet type song with four part harmonies and a lovely lo bass vocal part.

"Let's Part The Best Of Friends" (Carter Stanley) is an upbeat old timey tune that sounds modern, makes full use of modern recording techniques to an old song.

What is real unique on this recording is how natural all of the instruments sound with no effects in the way. It sounds perfectly natural, a real audiophile quality recording. I would love to hear this in SACD.

"He Is Near" (D Parmley) is another beauty of a four part harmony, wow, just noticed, this is acapella,(no instruments, just vocals).

Well, the band ends the disc with "Rummie's Run"(John Glich) (instrumental) which is a real upbeat tune where everyone gets involved. Fiddler Pat MacAvinue plays two fiddle parts, (overdubbed) and also a mandolin part.

This is a great release of songs and I would say better than his first CD, but maybe different is a better description. This is a must have for any true bluegrass fan.

www.audieblaylock.com