Reviews

DAN EUBANKS LOOK WHAT THE CITY’S DONE No Label No Number Dan Eubanks, the versatile bass player with Special Consensus, showcases his talents on a debut solo album which features his singing and songwriting, as well as his solid bass playing. Six of twelve cuts are originals, two of those co-written with Jon Weisberger and…

THE CHUCK WAGON GANG NO DEPRESSION IN HEAVEN: THE GOSPEL SONGS OF THE CARTER FAMILY Mountain Home MH18682 The vocal power and grace of the Chuck Wagon Gang, in its current iteration, is astonishing and little short of transcendent. As Marty Stuart observes in his heartfelt liner notes for The Gang’s new CD: “The songs…

BLUE HIGHWAY SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY  Rounder Records 1166100620    Twenty-five years—a shade over 9,000 days—is a hard milestone to make in almost any endeavor. To accomplish that in the modern music business, even more so. And to do it in bluegrass earns any band, performer, producer, songwriter, or instrumentalist lifelong status among the best. With their…

BACKLINE SALEM TOWN Mountain Fever MFR 190900 Salem Town is Backline’s third release since the band formed in 2016 and their first for Mountain Fever. The South Carolina band not only continues to display their skills as a tight band, but this release again features a number of original songs from lead vocalist Katelyn Mabry Ingardia….

BREAKING GRASS COLD Mountain Fever MFR190621 This new project from Mississippi’s Breaking Grass features the songwriting of guitarist Cody Farrar. He’s joined by band members Britt Sheffield (bass), Jody Elmore (banjo, guitar), Tyler White (fiddle), and Zach Wooten (mandolin). Many of Farrar’s songs have a dark theme, and the album’s cover gives an idea of…

MIKE KLEIN OVER THE WAVES No Label No Number Klein is a mandolin picker from Canada. Fellow Canadian Andrew Collins produced this recording and appears on the title-cut under its original name “Sobre Las Olas.” Paul Gitlitz plays fiddle, Ryan Shotton guitar, Jille Shotton is on banjo and does some flatfooting, and Nicola Tabb plays…