Reviews

JEAN-LUC LEROUX MANDOLOGIE Sacenc JLL 010 Writing instrumental tunes can come as naturally to some musicians as playing them, and the mandolin world is no exception to this trend. Mandologie is a collection of ten mandolin instrumentals composed and played by Jean-Luc Leroux, a French-born picker and bluegrass lover who now resides in New Caledonia in the…

JOHN DUFFEY’S BLUEGRASS LIFE FEATURING THE COUNTRY GENTLEMEN, SELDOM SCENE, AND WASHINGTON, D.C. BY STEPHEN MOORE AND G.T. KEPLINGER Booklocker 9781632638397.  Foreward by Tom Gray, paperback, 365 pp., $19.99. (BookLocker, 200 2nd Ave. S., #526, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, www.booklocker.com.) It’s rare to come across a book that so perfectly matches its subject matter in content and…

JANNE VIKSTEN BLUE OVER GREEN Hilland Records HRCD-1018 Multi-instrumentalist Janne Viksten’s follow-up to his well-received first solo album Blue Harbor makes clear why he’s a popular performer in his native Finland and a frequent on-stage guest of well-known American bluegrassers touring his part of Europe. The title-track is a galloping instrumental that’s hard-driving and lonesome, right from…

IRENE KELLEY BENNY’S TV REPAIR Mountain Fever 190510    There are songs about feelings and moments in time, but some of the best are story songs with characters so real their personalities leap out between the notes. Irene Kelley demonstrates she can write all three. Co-writers includes Terry Herd, Jerry Salley, Ronnie Bowman, Billy Smith, Bill…

DERVISH THE GREAT IRISH SONG BOOK Rounder Records 1166100489 Dervish is a highly-acclaimed ensemble who has devoted many years to bringing new life into the traditional music of Irish folk. The band consists of Cathy Jordan (bodhran, bones), Shane Mitchell (accordion), Liam Kelly (flute, whistles), Michael Holmes (bouzouki), Brian McDonagh (mandola, mandolin, bouzouki), and Tom…

PAPER WINGS CLEMENTINE No Label No Number The second album from Paper Wings features original songs from Wilhelmina Frankzerda and Emily Mann. The sound is old-time, interweaving the fiddle, banjo, and guitar in a percussive, yet melodic groove. The counter harmonies and vocal arrangements are intricate. “Woods And Fields” is a farewell song told in…