Charlie Daniels - Live At Keswick Theatre - A Review

 The Charlie Daniels Band pulled into Glenside and were loaded for bear. I have not seen Charlie since 1981 at the Mann Music Center. There was a local band that opened up for them, The crowd were not really  getting into them, I had never heard of them, but the crowd were there to see the CDB.

  People that had a meet and greet with Charlie did that during the first act's

set. Charlie did his meet and greets in his bus which was neat. Mr. Daniels has always been an outspoken man about his beliefs in Christianity, and his political ideas.  In my short time with him, I was really impressed with him, He is a very kind and sincere man.

   By the time everyone got back inside, The opening act was finished and they were setting up for the CDB which did not take long, and they had brought more than the average rock group to the Keswick, which has it's own PA system. They added a stack of speakers which went almost to the ceiling of the Theatre. They started out loud, I really did not expect him to still be playing full volume at his age, but the band was on full tilt rock, it took a couple of songs to get the sound dialed in. After the sound was right, the band really sounded good. They did the "Wooley Swamp", it sounded just like the record, Charlie's voice sounds just as strong and clear as it did thirty five years ago. His guitar playing sounded better, if anything than before.

  I was unfamiliar with a lot of his new material, as I was really into him in the seventies. He did sing "Long Haired Country Boy", which got the place jumping. He brought the house down with a magnificent version of "How Great Thou Art", starting out with just himself and an acoustic guitar, bringing in the whole band by the end. It was just so beautiful and done so full of meaning, and reverently. The CDB sounds just as good or better than ever.

                                   www.charliedaniels.com   

"The View" - The Roys - A Review

 On Sept. 2,2014, The Roys released their new bluegrass CD, "The View". The beautiful cover art of this CD will definitely catch your eye showing Lee and his sister Elaine on the porch of a beautiful cabin, tree covered view behind them.

  They have been making successful bluegrass CDs since 2011, starting with "Lonesome Whistle". They have a faithful following of fans to their melodic style of bluegrass with Christian songs mixed in.

  On this CD ,they did some things differently, Lee did all of the recording himself and they used the instruments played by their own band members, instead of studio musicians.  Also, every song is written by them, sometimes with the help of others. It came out real well, the playing of his own road band is surprisingly good, as Lee is a well talented mandolin player.

  There are a total of eleven tracks and the final track is with the help of Doyle Lawson about Bill Monroe, called "The Mandolin Man".

  Daniel Patrick on banjo and dobro is surprisingly good. On "Northern Skies",an instrumental, Lee plays some exciting mandolin parts, which have an original sound. He gets some beautiful tone out out of his mandolins. Clint White plays very good fiddle. Erik Alvar does a very good job with his bass parts.

  The CD has a good variety of mellow, original bluegrass songs. My favorites are "Sometimes", "Live The Life You Love", an upbeat song, Really like "The View", a real nice slow ballad by Elaine. It is slow and wistful. A really nice ballad featuring Elaine. "No More Tears Left To Cry" is a really well crafted song with some great dobro by Daniel.

   Overall, The View is one of the best CDs, put out by the Roys.

                      www.theroysonline.com

"Flatt Lonesome" - Flatt Lonesome - A Review

http://youtu.be/rRaAtQLqb_M

     These young folk have formed one of the best sounding traditional bluegrass groups around. If you watch the youtube above, you will get an idea of their talent level plus the love they have for their craft. The vocals  are built around 3 sibling and they harmonize so well together. Plus they play their instruments so well. Siblings Kelsi Robertson Harrigill, Charli Robertson and brother Buddy Robertson handle vocals plus Kelsi plays all mandolin, Charli plays fiddle and Buddy plays guitar and is leader of group. He is an excellent guitarist, playing both lead and rhythm. They play a lot of recognizable cover songs on their debut CD.
      Helping the sibling out on the other instruments is Mike Stockton who plays a very good Dobro, and they have Paul Harrigill on banjo who is quite an accomplished player and on upright bass,they have Dominic Illingworth who does a good job of keeping the beat going well. My favorite song on the CD is the popular country/bluegrass "Jackson", which sounds like a live version. Buddy and sister Charli do a great job on vocals. Their vocals are quite remarkable. Gospel song "On The Right Side" is done very well by Kelsi on lead vocals. The last song "Boondocks" is done very well in a trio style by Kelsi, Charli and Buddy. These youngsters are very entertaining, they have lots of youtubes on youtube, and they really sound great live. Some of their vocal arrangements are like the best in bluegrass. I would love to catch them at a festival this year. They have some original songs on the CD too. Kelsi wrote "One Foot in The Grave" and "Just Any Moment". I love their version of "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" and "Draggin My Heart Around", a couple of songs that are pretty popular. They are fortunate to be a member of Mountain Home Records, which also has the "Grascals" and "Balsam Range". Mountain Home Records is blessed to have one of the best recording engineers around in their studio in the Mountains of North Carolina. And I have yet to hear , Van Atkins do a bad recording. He not only records their CDs , but also does the mastering, which is unusual. Most groups or labels all send their finished record out to a good mastering engineer like Doug Sax or Georgetown Masters in Nashville, Tennessee. Van just switched over from 2 inch analog tape to Pro Tools in the last couple of years. He is simply one of the best in Bluegrass. The artwork on the CD is great too, There is a living room chair on the Cover, with a blackboard which says simply "Flatt Lonesome" on it. This is a group with a huge upside to it. Check them out.
                                                               www.FlattLonesome.com
www.crossroadsmusic.com

"Flying" - Darin and Brooke Aldridge - Review

Darin and Brooke Aldridge have put out a CD in my opinion that is refreshing. To quote Jim Lauderdale , he says "Darin and Brooke bring tradition to today and today to tradition". This couple sings so well together, their harmonies are just uncanny. I call this CD a mood changer, I like to listen to it with breakfast, they use different songwriters including their own member Becky Buller.



I'm listening to a song I love called "Trying To Make Clocks Slow Down", by Bill Whyte just a sample of the many great songs on this expertly crafted CD.

Brooke sings the lead on this , the instruments are placed expertly in the mix. There is a lot of pettiness about some things in bluegrass, like this CD has a quiet drum kit in the background of the music. So if that is going to ruin it for you, get a Bill Monroe CD. I can like both. This is just one of those albums that does not have one bad song on it, and it is recorded in a studio in North Carolina, Crossroads Studio, by sound master Van Atkins, who recorded, mixed and mastered it all by himself. I wouldn't recommend this myself, I usually think that another person should master a CD, for one reason to get a fresh set of ears on the recording, but Atkins gets a pass on this from me, He recorded "Papertown" by Balsam Range which spent an incredible amount of time at the top of the Billboard Bluegrass Chart and won CD of the Year for the IBMA. It was a masterpiece similar to this. Brooke and Darin produced this CD.



Jim Lauderdale wrote the liner notes for this CD, there is another statement that he made in which I agree, "I can't really do justice in trying to describe the essence of this record in words; you just have to hear it to know what I mean. " I have had this CD for about a month and it is still as fresh now as when I first heard it. I really think that it is going to do well.



I have to mention a couple of other songs in closing. The first song that I need to mention is their jaw dropping version of "Outbound Plane", by Nanci Griffith, which honestly is the hook that got me that got me listening to the CD, and when I listen to a CD, I like to listen to the whole CD, and there just is not a bad song on here. They do "Outbound Plane" almost exactly like Nanci Griffith originally did it, but with more of a bluegrass sound. The other song which gets extra mention is "Love Does" by Jamie Johnson, which is done as a duet, with some sweet harmonies.



No studio musicians used, it is recorded with their road band. Darin Aldridge plays guitar, mandolin and Bouzouki. Becky Buller on harmony vocals and fiddle. Collin Willis plays a very tasty sounding Dobro, Dwayne Anderson on bass, Tony Creasman on percussion and Leah Bowen on Harmony vocals. Check This Out.



www.darinandbrookealdridge.com

"Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder" - Live At Sellersville Theatre, 5/11/13 - A Review

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder put on a show to remember before a packed house at the Sellersville Theatre, Saturday night, They played material from all over the place, including their most recent CD. The Crowd was definitely into the show, Skaggs is a real icon in the Bluegrass scene. But, I like how he has experimented with different styles over the years, like the CD that He did with Bruce Hornsby years ago, unlikely ,yet a great listen. He mixed some slow ballads with a lot of uptempo pickers, with the help of Andy Leftwich on fiddle, Cody Kilby on lead guitar, and Justin Moses on banjo. His band is filled with sessions musicians, plus an excellent bassist in Scott Mulvahill, who was playing all over the place, plus you could hear his upright bass in the mix. He also had a couple of excellent backup singers who also played rhythm guitar in Paul Brewster and Eddie Faris.



This band plays like a well oiled machine, they are tight, the mix is just right and the sound is lush, Skaggs uses studio quality condenser mikes for his mandolin and guitar, Leftwich's fiddle has a real musical tone, not scratchy, Moses gets great tone from his banjo, mandolin and dobro using the same type mike as Ricky, and Mulvahill gets a nice punchy tone from his standup bass.



They played a lot of songs from their latest CD, "Music To My Ears", which came out at the end of last year, a really well done CD with excellent material. Most of the musicians in the band had done solo CDs. Ricky let them do a song from their new material, which usually was done with the help of the rest of the band. Then they also did some material from Skaggs earlier albums ,a couple from "Mosaic". The show lasted a little over 2 hours with a brief intermission. This bluegrass band puts on a show which will leave you with a song in your heart and a smile on your face.



www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com

"Captains And Cowboys" - Mike Aiken - A Review

This Americana/acoustic sounding CD has some real nice material on it that will put a song in your heart. Most material is written by Aiken himself or with help. This CD is the first CD that Aiken has put some real top professional people in the help and it is an excellent sounding CD. This recording was two years in the making, but is scheduled for release on April 22,2013. It is produced by Aiken, Dan Baird, and Ben Strand. The sound ranges from country, roots and a bit of island sound.




It is a twelve song CD recorded at Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville, one of the best. Mastered at Yes Master in Nashville, a company with a great reputation that I have heard many fine CDs mastered by them. This recording has a very warm mix where everything is heard at a good volume. Vocals were recorded at Hot factory six and recording was mixed at Hot Factory six.




Aiken sings lead vocals, plays guitars, and slide guitar. Mike Grando plays drums. Michael Webb plays bass. Dan Baird plays electric guitar, and one of the best in the industry Dan Dugmore plays pedal steel.




I really do not think there is a bad song on this CD. My favorites are the melodic, catchy "Virginia", the workingman's song , "Coal Train" , One of Mike's best for me is the slow "Your Memory Wins", written with the help of Austin Cunningham.



I like "Save The Whales" upbeat, country song written by Joe Mcdonald. Tammy Rodgers plays some excellent fiddle here. "Summertime Song" has some real good country blues guitar. Good background vocals on this upbeat song. Mike also plays some great slide guitar on this song. This might be the best song on the CD. "Captains and Cowboys" is another upbeat song with a real good vibe going. This has been a real joy for me. Enjoy!!



www.mikeaikenmusic.com

"Lonesome River Band" - Chronology,vol. 2 - A Review

Disc two of the Lonesome River Band  Chronology has a similar sound to the first one, It starts off with a bonus song,written by their guitar player, lead singer, Brandon Rickman. The song is an upbeat tune called "Barely Beat the Daylight In". This is the first single from the EP, and it is a rich sounding upbeat song about trying to get home on time. It has a catchy melody full of some neat hooks with some great parts by the banjo,fiddle and mandolin. I was happy to see this disc mentioned in Audiophile magazine, because like the first disc, the Sound Quality produced by the folk up at Mountain Fever Studios and the mastering by Bill Wolf at Wolf Mastering is equal to audiophile. The tonal qualities are sweet and as good as it gets for a regular CD, That's why you should get the CD, because if you download this selection of songs ,they won't sound as good as the CD, an overcompressed mp3 file was not designed to be listened to.

  The other seven songs are from the 92-02 season of the Lonesome River Band. The twist is that they are done with today's version of Lonesome River Band and their sound, so they are not supposed to mimic the original versions. Lots of songs about heartbreak and hard luck songs, but they really don't project those moods, it is an upbeat mood. "The Crime I Didn't Do" is sort of a slow sad song about a guy who ends up bustin' rocks for something he didn't do. I really like "Sweet Sally Brown", just a real nice upbeat love song. I have watched several youtubes of this group and they sound excellent live. They just look like they enjoy what they do. And I bet they put on an awesome live show, this CD sounds like a live type performance rather than a studio recording. Sammy Schelor is one of my favorite banjo pickers, He just gets some great tones out the banjo and he is a master of the instrument. This group is full of great pickers and they are so good, really precise and original. Hargrove on fiddle does an excellent job as does Randy Jones on mandolin. Brandon Rickman lays down a real solid rhythm guitar for the vocals and lead instruments. As Barry Reed does a fine job on the bass. Watching the group play live, they really are together and Sammy Schelor has a big smile on his face has his group tears it up. This is great CD for chasin' away the blues. Enjoy!

                            www.lonesomeriverband.com

"Still Standing" - The Roys - A Single Review

 The Roy's are just about ready to release a new Album. This is a review of their first single from the CD ,named "Still Standing". On this song, they take on a new type of sound, not as processed and country as their last CD. This song is an upbeat song, which sounds very much bluegrass, reminds me a bit of Rhonda Vincent and The Rage. There is lots of fiddle and Dobro. Elaine does the lead vocals and seems very comfortable with this stripped down bluegrass sound.

   The song is about perseverance, talking about identity and getting on with life. I find myself a little bit with mixed feelings, because I do love bluegrass like this, but The Roy's last CD was so Lush sounding and such a great country album with bluegrass influence. This does make me wonder what the rest of the CD will be like. I can't help but think it will be good, musicians follow their heart or ears ,I really like this, I have some other new surprises that I got recently in the mail. Keep your ears out for this one!!  It's a Good song, different, but real good.

                                   www.theroysonline.com

"Second Season" - Kristin Scott Benson - A review

                  
Kristen Scott Benson was making CDs before she joined the Grascals. This is her second recording, it is with Pinecastle Records. She produces it and has a lot of help on the disc with singing, instrument playing ,and inspiration. It is definitely traditional Bluegrass,  with the help of artists like Wayne Benson, Larry Cordle, Mickey Harris, Sally Jones, Cody Kilby (one of my favorite bluegrass flat pickers), Larry Stephenson, Jim Van Cleve , (fiddle player with Mountain Heart) and last,but not least , Josh Williams (previously with Rhonda Vincent's Rage.)

   Kristen  writes some of this material, some is other's songs and some is public domain. It is a very high quality recording and some tight versions of some great bluegrass music, You would not think it was a banjo players CD, she really does not put herself in the spotlight more than anyone else. I like that she writes a  little blurb about each song recorded. Lots of mandolin and fiddle on the CD and Cody Kilby plays his own style of bluegrass guitar. They do an Instrumental by Bill Emerson called "No Steering, No Brakes", which I like a lot, it is mellow, but upbeat and just a great Bluegrass song.


   "No Southern Comfort" - This is a sad ballad song, sung by Josh Williams. Very good delivery and plenty of bluegrass licks,and nice high lonesome harmonies.  "Far Enough Away" is a slow paced instrumental written by Kristen. It shows the quiet side of banjo playing which you do not really hear very much. Some nice licks by Cody Kilby too, love his guitar playing.  Jim Van Cleve plays some very musical fiddle. She has an incredible mix of musicians here.


   Well, I would like to leave some to your imagination, but if you like bluegrass music, I don't see how you you couldn't like this. When Kristen becomes a Grascal she turns it up a notch and her banjo playing is more treble sounding, like a bluegrass banjo usually sounds. She does a lot more Scruggs type pickin with The Grascals. This is very good though.



--
God Is Good
www.countryreviews.blogspot.com

"The Distance" - Carrie Hassler - A Review

 Carrie is back with eight great new songs and all is well with the World. This is a lush recording, and it is really tastefully done with some great players  like Tim Stafford, guitar; Ron Stewart(banjo), Justin Moses, (fiddle), Mark Fain,(bass), Dale Ann Bradley,(background vocals), and the CD's producer Steve Gulley,(background and lead vocals).

  "Give My Love" is a gospel song that is just a great melody, with great instrumentation, some real pretty pedal steel. Carrie sings this so well, this recording sparkles, very well done. The disc starts out with "Luxury Liner", originally done by Emmy Lou Harris, Carrie does it a bit more bluegrass oriented. It moves real well. Sweet Fiddle and banjo, plus some sweet dobro.  Steve Gulley and Tim Stafford gave her a great song. It is called "All I Have to do is Breathe". Some really great lyrics for Carrie to delve into. "Get Me Over You" is another upbeat song about getting over someone, she once loved. It is written by a friend of Carrie's (Jennifer Strickland).

    The title track "The Distance" is a hit, in a real world, this would be a Billboard Hit. I just put my phones on and the stereo spread is awesome. Bradley's harmonie's come out the other side of the Headphone. "Eugene and Diane" by
(Carl Jackson) is another winner.  Steve Gulley sings the Male duet part of this. It is a ballad and love song that is another winner,it is so plain pretty. Steve's vocals are so natural for this. The guitar picking is so pretty. Carrie is so fortunate to have all these bluegrass greats help her out. It sure does show.

     "Keep Your Memory Warm" is a super, slow love song that was written by Steve Gulley. This is really great. Gulley is a great song writer(starter of Mountain Heart). I have been waitng for Something by Carrie for a while, Well here it is,and it is no disappointment. Why is it so easy to write a review of something you love and sometimes I have to push myself through a mediocre CD. No mediocracy here on this Disc. This will be released by Rural Rhythm Records on April 24,2012. The artwork on The CD is very well done, in a traditional jewel case. Carrie looks stunning. Now, I would love to hear a new CD by Melanie Cannon next.  Check this out.

     www.carriehassler.com
     www.RuralRhythm.com

Lonesome River Band - Chronology - Volume One - A Review

This group is one of the true iconic groups of Bluegrass Music. To celebrate their last 30 years of recording and playing music, they will be making 3 of these EPs, eight songs on each CD and each disc will cover a decade. Their last two CDs with Rural Rhythm Records have both been very successful, each being #1 on the Bluegrass charts. Those were "Still Learning" and "No Turning Back". This band has had many of the bluegrass greats , like Dan Tyminski and Adam Steffey pass thru it over the years. The present Lineup consists of Sammy Shelor(banjo and harmony vocals), Brandon Rickman (guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Randy Jones (mandolin, lead and harmony vocals), Mike Hartgrove (fiddle), and Barry Reed  (bass and harmony vocals). 

   "Hobo Blues" is one of my favorites, it starts out with a very syncopated, jazzy type beginning, Bass is awesome. Then banjo comes in and it goes into a bluesy/bluegrass tune with a lot of punch. This recording is big studio all of the way, it has that sound of a big label CD. The mix and interaction of the banjo, mandolin,guitar and fiddle is quite excellent. Great vocal harmonies too and a nice reverb wash like records of old. Right after this song, the band kicks into a great hoedown type instrumental, with lots of fiddle, mandolin and all instruments get involved. It really has a live flavor to it. The rhythm guitar drives the song and there are snitches of lead guitar too.

   The CD starts out with "Close The Door Lightly when You Go". It is an upbeat ,heartbreak song. Great vocal harmonies. The instrument tones are great, This is a sparkling mix of songs. There is a very good booklet which describes where each song came from and who does the parts on the new versions. You have to get this if you like The NRB. It is remarkable, one of the best recordings that I have heard recently done in a very inspired fashion.

              www.lonesomeriverband.com

"Justified"- Cumberland River

Song on TV Show, Justified by "Cumberland River", a bit of rockin' bluegrass.

"Pryme Tyme" - Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out - a Review

This group plays traditional bluegrass music. They mix in a little swing on couple of tunes. Russell Moore takes care of guitar and lead vocal on most songs. Steve Dilling plays banjo and sings harmony. Wayne Benson plays stellar mandolin through out the album. Justin Haynes plays fiddle and sings harmony. Edgar Loudermilk plays upright bass and sings harmony vocals and lead vocals on track #9.

   This sounds like a live recording, real sweet recording with great tonal characteristics. Greg Luck does a great job of engineering and also mastering.

   Great selection of material. Songs bring images of Montana to mind to love songs and songs about life. I love "Goodbye Old Missoula", "Hooverville", "Moon Magic", and "Whippoorwill." My favorite song is the last, "What's the World Coming To", a slow paced, emotion filled song about life as we know it.

   By the way, it is good to see Rural Rhytmn Records in Tennessee "where they belong". Visit IIIrd Tyme Out @

       www.iiirdtymeout.com

"Skaggs Family Christmas" - Vol 2 - a review

 This concert on CD and DVD is a real bluegrass ,Christmas treat, recorded live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. A very relaxed concert featuring The Whites and Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder.

   What a treat to watch and hear the very talented Cody Kilby playing guitar, I mean (lead bluegrass guitar), missing alot in bluegrass today.

   There is something for everyone if you are a country or bluegrass fan. The traditional Christmas songs are just plain beautiful with the accompaniment of the Nashville Strings.

  A very special combination of original songs and traditional Christmas material is performed.

   "What Songs Were Sung" is a song that one of the Skaggs girls sang. It is just a very sweet, melodic tune. Following that, Luke Skaggs, (son of Ricky) plays lead guitar on a very upbeat song called "Flight To Egypt" which is very progressive. Luke Skaggs is a refreshing young, talented man who looks like he will carry on his Dad's tradition.

    There is a CD which has a lot of the songs which were on the DVD in the set.

   www.Skaggsfamilyrecords.com 

A Special Message From Rural Rhythm Records

My father was a major part of the Distribution team with Decca and MCA Records for over 30 years starting in the early 50's. Bill Monroe was a major part of the label's tremendous Country & Bluegrass roster through the years, so I literally grew up enjoying Bill's music and respecting the importance an impact he had on the music world.



Rural Rhythm Records will be showing our respect to the Father Of Bluegrass this year with several tribute album projects starting with the BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY: INSTRUMENTAL TRIBUTE TO BILL MONROE releasing January 25, 2011.



We are proud to also announce Audie Blaylock's next album will be a tribute album with some very special guest artists who performed with Bill through the years. Audie is currently celebrating a #1 single ("Cryin' Heart Blues") on the January 2011 Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine's Top 30 Song chart. The single is the title track from Audie Blaylock & Redline's 2010 chart album.



In June 2011, Rural Rhythm will be recording a live album during the Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival held in Bean Blossom, IN. TRIBUTE TO BILL MONROE - LIVE AT BEAN BLOSSOM will feature many Rural Rhythm artists performing some of Bill's special Bluegrass, Gospel and Instrumental gems.



In honor of Bill Monroe and the 100th year celebration for his musical legacy, we have developed a Celebration logo that will be used in the packaging of all our tribute album projects throughout the year. Bill the man and his music was one of a kind and this 100th year celebration is wonderful way for everyone to take time out of their busy days and acknowledge the impact this pioneer had on the music world for much of the past 100 years.



Sincerely,



Sam Passamano, Jr.

President, Rural Rhythm Records

http://www.ruralrhythm.com/

Kickin' Up Dust - Grasstowne - Review

I have put this off way too long. It was a pleasure to open the jewel case of the colorful CD with the vintage Red Chevy. It was fun just to put it in the CD deck and sit back and enjoy.




Grasstowne has a very nice traditional sound. Steve Gulley (founder of Mountain Heart) runs this well oiled ship. These guys have a great, natural acoustic sound. These guys can do a driving bluegrass song or pull up the reins and do a nice ballad.



Every instrument is first rate, the mandolin player can rip off some sweet leads, Gulley plays rhythm guitar. An acapello song called "Our Father" is a masterpiece. It has such sweet harmony. Alan Bibey plays mandolin. Adam Haynes plays a sweet sounding fiddle.



"Grass Stain" is a sweet instrumental written by Adam Haynes, very nice melody and some great pickin' by all.



"Anchor In The Storm" is a comforting blue grass song. A well written song, and Steve has such a mellow lead vocal, with bluegrass harmonies and some more good fiddlin'.



"Vicksburg" is a haunting song about the civil war and the taking of Vicksburg. The fiddle does some very creative sounds. This song is worth price of admission by itself.



"Waves Of Sorrow" is a song about heartbreak, originally done long ago by 111rd Tyme Out.



Justin Jenkins is their very capable banjo picker and Kameron Keller plays bass, This was a joy to listen to, no filler. Bluegrass that is traditional, but creative too. Enjoy!!







http://www.grasstowne.com/

"paper airplane" - AKUS - a single review

It has been seven years since we have heard anything new from this iconic bluegrass group. You can see the video on AKUS's website. I had heard from another article about the CD that the mood of the project would be depressing. The video is in black and white, shows the members in a rural setting with an old barn and farmhouse. The sound is familiar with Douglas's Dobro and Tyminski on mandolin. Krauss's vocal's have the same angelic, emotive quality as before. The group is sitting in an open tent playing with Alison singing in front of tent and she has a separate tent beside theirs. The production seems to be aimed at getting accurate sounds of their music, rather than something polished and modern like maybe their last album "Lonely Runs Both Ways" was aiming at.




The guys look real serious in their playing as they backup Alison on this song, and there are no back up vocals. A sparser setting than usual.I love this line "but every silver lining seems to have a cloud---". Go check it out.



http://www.alisonkrauss.com/

Josh Slone and Coaltown

Josh Slone is good, real good. He knows how to make a song his and get into it, and make it come alive. Slone has been blessed with a great voice plus the tight high lonesome harmonies are great.




Rural Rhythm scores again. This recording is hot, the followup of the great opening song is a heartbreak ballad "Daddies Don't Cry" and then the real upbeat "Destination Heartbreak" which is another strong offering, nice mandolin and fiddle. This recording has a good deal of reverb and compression, but it is used tastefully. When a producer or mastering engineer uses these tools right, it adds excitement and warmth to the music.



I would love to hear his four piece band live, because it is just him on guitar, a bass player, banjo and mandolin. He has a lot of guest musicians and vocalists on this CD. It is hard to pick out which singers and players are in his band, because there are seventeen people listed as singers or musicians on the CD. But the vocals are tight and there is great Dobro, Banjo and Fiddle.



I love the material, some great song writers stuff. Songs are more like country songs done the bluegrass way. Mark Brinkman, Larry Cordle, whose "Big Blue Raindrops" is a classic. Josh really sounds like a pro, not someone who is doing his first CD.



"Bluegrass and Me" by Mike Wells who wrote alot of these songs is a great uptempo song. The arrangements may be sparse at times, but the music is always top flight. There is a great guitar solo on "Hillbilly Girl", which I'm guessing was done by Josh, because he is the only guitar picker listed.



The closer "Long Legged Woman" is a hoot with some great fiddle playing by Gerald Evans who I read that this was his last CD. That is sad news, Sounds like a man that will be missed by many.



Josh is also a very good guitar player. This is a very good CD overall with lots of great original bluegrass, wish Josh The best!!!



http://www.joshsloneandcoaltown.net/

The Grascals & Friends - Country Classics with a Bluegrass Spin

Search Amazon.com for grascals cdCracker Barrel Old Country Store(and restaurant) has been putting out special releases of good music for a few years. This one is a real special treat, with The Grascals as the House Band, they have recorded mostly older classic country covers, which is done very tastefully, with many special guests. Let's take a look at this album.




Jamie Johnson wrote a real special song while visiting St. Jude's Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis with the Grascals last winter. It is presented twice, once with Dolly Parton, and as a bonus track with mostly everyone here participating. A portion of proceeds of The Grascals & Friends goes to St. Jude’s. The song is "I Am Strong." The ending is priceless, as cancer patient Ansley McLaurin sings the last line.



Well, the CD starts out cookin' with Brad Paisley doing his version of "Tiger by The Tail"(Buck Owens). Sounds very good, He also puts in one of his signature guitar breaks, followed by Kristin of the Grascals taking off on banjo.



Well, I have to jump out of order here , Charlie Daniels just came on singing his very popular "Devil Went Down to Georgia." Charlie was so impressed with Grascals’ fiddler Jeremy Abshire playing, that he opted not to play on the track.



"Folsom Prison Blues", Featuring Dierks Bentley, Bentley does a great job covering Cash with The Grascals, some very nice harmonies too! Guitarist Kent Wells nails the guitar part.



"Pain of Lovin' You", Dolly Parton nails the song she wrote with Porter Wagoner, and the Grascals sound great playing with her. She then sings the

first version of "I Am Strong" with Jamie Johnson. The lyrics here are powerful. Dolly's voice is as good as ever. Very powerful song with some very nice harmonies.



"Louisiana Saturday Night" is just the Grascals performing this Bob McDill song. It is real upbeat, reminds me a bit of Brad Paisley’s "American Saturday Night". Just the concept, not necessarily the tune itself, really takes off well.



"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" (Tom T Hall) sung by Tom T Hall with the Grascals. I really like this , Tom sings this very animated, a song that works very well.



"White Lightning" featuring Darryl Worley, this song rocks , in a bluegrass way, Kristin really rocks the banjo with lead guitarist Kent Wells playing some sweet electric country riffs.



This album is a lot of fun and has a ton of talent on it. You like some country and bluegrass, you will love this. I forgot one more important song, Joe Nichols singing "Mr Bojangles", another very well done piece with some great instrumentation by the Grascals. This is a great way to start out the new year. Check it out!!

-release date 1/10/11
-samples
http://cbmusic.crackerbarrel.com/artists/grascals



http://www.crackerbarrel.com/

http://www.grascals.com/



--

The Grascals Celebrate Another successful year

The Grascals Celebrate Another Successful Year


2010 Brought Group Numerous #1s, Popular Videos & More

Nashville, TN (December 3, 2010) -- The Grascals recently celebrated another successful year with numerous #1s, popular videos, five-star shows and extensive press coverage behind them. The group's current CD, THE FAMOUS LEFTY FLYNN'S, ruled the Bluegrass Unlimited Chart for an astounding four-month run at #1, while the single, "Last Train To Clarksville," is that Chart's #1 single this month. The disc also reigned supreme on the Bluegrass Music Profiles Chart (#1 for two months), and the single hit the top of the European Hot Disc Chart.





The Grascals toured extensively, delighting fans at over 150 shows that included high-profile outings with Hank Williams Jr.'s Rowdy Friends Tour; the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, the CMA Music Fest, the IBMA Fan Fest Stage, dozens of festivals, multiple Grand Ole Opry appearances and more. Their music video, "Last Train To Clarksville," received a favorable response from critics and fans alike, and a new video, filmed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, will hit the airwaves soon.

Change was in the wind for The Grascals throughout 2010; the band parted ways with Rounder Records after a successful six-year run and formed their own imprint, BluGrascal Records. The band celebrated a terrific first year with New Frontier Touring, and so much MOORE media joined The Grascals' team in March. At the helm of The Grascals' ship is Entertainment Evolution, the group's artist management firm.

The Grascals' Jamie Johnson sums up the year perfectly, saying, "We worked hard, we reaped a good bit of what we've sown, and we are continually blessed." The group is shown here, receiving #1 award plaques for THE FAMOUS LEFTY FLYNN'S, at NorthStar Studios following the filming of Reno's Old Time Music Festival television show.