Reviews

NO TIME FLATT CALLING AFTER ME No Label NTF-08-2019 This is a fun band that sets out to entertain. They draw music from pop sources, classic country, and also produce originals. Patrick Cupples wrote five of the numbers here and plays bass and drums. Kevin Wright wrote one song and plays guitar. Steve Moore plays…

WOOD BELLY MAN ON THE RADIO Belly Up Records No Number It is always good to pay attention to the Telluride Band Contest winners every year, as it can give you a peak into the up-and-coming bands out West that may be new to the East Coast radar. Wood Belly is a Colorado-based band that…

THE PO’ RAMBLIN’ BOYS TOIL, TEARS, AND TROUBLE Rounder Records 1166100656 The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys broke onto the bluegrass scene with their first album in 2017, made a tremendous impact at IBMA’s World Of Bluegrass as a showcase band the same year, and won IBMA’s 2018 Emerging Artist Of The Year. Toil, Tears, and Trouble represents the…

THE GRASCALS STRAIGHTEN THE CURVES Mountain Home 17582 The Grascals released their first recording in 2005. Now, 15 years later, the band’s sound remains intact, notwithstanding the personnel changes that come with a band having this much seniority. This recording includes founding members Terry Smith on bass and vocals, Danny Roberts on mandolin, and Kristin…

NOTHIN’ FANCY UNDENIABLE Mountain Fever MFR191011 The music on Undeniable, Nothin’ Fancy’s 16th album (which marks the band’s 25th anniversary) reaches out and grabs you like a firm, friendly handshake. This five-man outfit—Mike Andes (mandolin and vocals), Caleb Cox (guitar and vocals), James Cox (bass), Jacob Flick (banjo), and Chris Sexton (fiddle, vocals, cello, and viola)—has…

AUDIE BLAYLOCK AND REDLINE ORIGINALIST 615 Hideaway Records HID 575 If you’ve heard Audie Blaylock before, you know what to expect on his latest album Originalist. Blaylock is well-known for straight-ahead, hard-driving bluegrass, and he again delivers. Five of the twelve songs here were written by bassist Reed Jones, including the instrumental “Huckleberry’s Hope” on which…