Reviews

TRICIA SPENCER & HOWARD RAINS THE OLD TEXAS FIDDLE VOL. III Tiki Parlour, No Number    Modern American contest fiddling is often described as Texas-style because that’s what is used in many contests, but there’s an older Texas fiddling style that is closer to old-time fiddling in Appalachia and other places. Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer…

MERLE MONROE BACK TO THE COUNTRY Pinecastle Records PCR1231 Merle Monroe is a band of country and bluegrass veterans and new talent that hopes to bridge the divide between classic country artists such as Merle Haggard with traditional bluegrass inspired by Bill Monroe. No surprise, Back To The Country features two Haggard tunes and closes with a…

LARRY SPARKS NEW MOON OVER MY SHOULDER Rebel Records REB-CD-1870 After a five-year hiatus from recording, Larry Sparks proves he hasn’t lost a beat with this stalwart new 12-song collection. New Moon Over My Shoulder is jam-packed with the sort of soulful song interpretation, masterful picking and no-frills authenticity that we’ve come to expect from Sparks over…

TOMMY WEBB BLUEGRASS BOYS Kindred Records 19001 Banjo/fiddle/vocalist Ron Stewart had this to say about Tommy Webb: “Tommy is one of those rare down-to-earth, no sugar-coating talents that comes along once in a great while, that grabs you and makes you listen.” Stewart produced and plays banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and provides harmony vocals on…

TOMMY THOMPSON: NEW-TIMEY STRING BAND MUSICIAN BY LEWIS M. STERN McFarland Books 9781476675084. Paperback, 247 pp. $39.95. (McFarland Books, P.O. Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640, www.mcfarlandbooks.com.) Another fascinating, thoroughly researched book in the Contributions To Southern Appalachian Studies series. The author Lewis M. Stern is an old-time banjo player and has written for the Old Time Herald and Banjo Newsletter….

SMALL TOWN THERAPY DREAMS AND CIRCUMSTANCE Organic Records OR18192 This violin and mandolin duo is joined from time to time with various guests to fill out their sound. Their sound is a kind of Third Stream acoustic jazz. That is to say there are as many classical references as jazz references in their music. Bluegrass…