GIBSON BROTHERS, BROTHERHOOD

GIBSON BROTHERS
BROTHERHOOD

Rounder Records
35986

This was an album the Gibson Brothers had to make, being a part of the long line of brother acts whose harmony singing blends so naturally. But, what’s cool about this project is that they waited to record it. They didn’t use the “brother-act sings the songs of other famous brother-acts” idea as a gimmick, but instead made sure they were established as artists on their own merits. It was after winning the IBMA Entertainers Of The Year award multiple times that they finally moved forward with Brotherhood, which I appreciate.

Another thing that is impressive about this album is that they did their research and tracked down many brother-acts they weren’t very familiar with, yet grew to love. Yes, there are wonderful songs on here made famous by the Stanley Brothers, Louvin Brothers, and the Everly Brothers (“How Mountain Girls Can Love” and “Bye Bye Love”). They also grab up tunes made popular by the Osborne Brothers (“Each Season Changes You”), Jim & Jesse (“Sweet Little Miss Blue Eyes”), and the Bailey Brothers (“The Sweetest Gift”).

To their credit though, the Gibson Brothers also dug deep into the vaults to expertly recreate music attached to more obscure artists such as the Church Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, the Glaser Brothers, the York Brothers, and the awesome Four Brothers Quartet, which was a combination of the Brewster Brothers and the Webster Brothers. Stepping up on this album is Leigh and Eric Gibson’s bandmates Jesse Brock on mandolin, fiddler Clayton Campbell, and bassist Mike Barber, who co-produced the project. The special guests include Ronnie Reno, Ronnie McCoury, Rob McCoury, Russ Pahl, and Sam Zucchini. (Rounder Records, One Rounder Way, Burlington, MA 01803, www.rounder.com.)DH