The Winning Hand
Established over forty years ago, The Lonesome River Band is known for its consistent sound and song presentation. The band has gone through many member changes over the years, but both Sammy Shelor (banjo) and Mike Hargrove (fiddle) have been there for most of those years. Current member Jesse Smathers (vocal, guitar, mandolin) joined when Brandon Rickman left, Kameron Keller (bass) came on board, replacing Barry Reed, and the newest member is Adam Miller (vocals, mandolin). These member changes were made since the previous release Hey Day back in 2022, so this new project is the first for this current lineup.
The members have worked hard to maintain LRB’s well-known sound, but also let the group look at some new directions. The project is a nice collection of tunes from a variety of sources, even songs from the newer members, brought with them from their previous gigs. Selection includes “Queen Of Hearts,” “Effingham County,” “Oh, Darlin,” “Brown Hill,” “She Don’t Know I’m Alive,” “Near Mrs.,” “Hard Work,” “That’s Why Trains Are Lonesome,” and “Blues Of The Night.”
While sticking to their signature bluegrass sound, the band stretches a bit with the 4-4 shuffle of “A Happy Song,” the syncopated tempo of “Charlottesville,” and the instrumental interchanges on “Tom and Jerry,” proving once again that this is another great effort from LRB.
