Reviews

JESSE McREYNOLDS & FRIENDS PLAY THE BULL MOUNTAIN MOONSHINERS’ WAY Pinecastle Records PPRC1232 Talk about a legend. At age 90, Jesse McReynolds is celebrating his 55th year as a Grand Ole Opry member and 70-plus years as a professional musician. Yet the real star and centerpiece of Jesse’s first album in nine years is not the man…

RESCUE JUNCTION LIONS AT HEART No Label No Number Every so often, those who love bluegrass get concerned about the future of the music. Some of those fears have been set aside as newcomers from more recent generations. They aren’t always “traditionalists”—which sometimes seems counterintuitive since bluegrass itself was birthed as a new sound with touches of…

LaTRESA & THE SIGNAL THE BLOOD AND THE RIVER Boon Dog Records No Number The third album from Nashville-based singer songwriter LaTresa Smith is a collection of bluegrass gospel music. Eleven of twelve cuts are originals from LaTresa, and the twelfth was co-written with band member Kyle Wood. In addition to Wood on mandolin (a…

THE GINA FURTADO PROJECT I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD LIFE Mountain Home MH18202    For those of you who grew up excited about buying a new album, then taking it home to position yourself comfortably between two speakers and focus intently on the first listen, this album is for you. If you love reading every…

JOHN BOWMAN THE HOLE Mountain Home MH18622 The Hole is a six-song EP of country and bluegrass gospel music. Bowman has chosen heartfelt songs from excellent writers, including Merle Haggard’s “Silverthorn Mountain.” John reports, “This EP was created with the intention of glorifying God. Each track, except for “Silverthorn Mountain”—a song about life—has a focused and…

THE FARM HANDS MEMORIES OF HOME Pinecastle Records PRC 1233 Based in Nashville, the Farm Hands consist of Grammy winner Tim Graves on resonator guitar, award-winning songwriter Daryl Mosley on bass, four-time nominated guitarist Keith Tew, Opry veteran Don Hill on banjo, and newest member Kimberly Bibb on fiddle. Since forming in 2010, the Farm Hands have…