Reviews

CANE MILL ROAD GAP TO GAP Patuxent Records CD-317 This young group from western North Carolina and Southwest Virginia has made quite a name for themselves in the time they have been together. This new project allows the band to really showcase their talents. The band is Liam Purcell (mandolin, fiddle, resonator guitar), Eliot Smith…

EDDIE SANDERS FAST TRAIN TO LONESOME Engelhardt Music Group EMG10125 Eddie Sanders is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from McAlester, Okla. His first solo album, Fast Train To Lonesome, is a collection of twelve originals. Eddie’s songwriting credentials were acknowledged when his song “You Could Have Been Me” was recorded by Del McCoury.  He’s also collaborated on…

NOTHIN’ FANCY TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING Mountain Fever MFR181012    Some bands persist through the decades and not only survive, but flourish and grow. This fine release is a spiritual banquet of great songs and strong deliveries, telling stories that are rich in life’s true wealth. The Glen Campbell gem “Less Of Me” stands well with New…

ROGER NETHERTON No Label No Number Roger Netherton is one of the new, young fiddlers to hit the old-time scene. He’s an adventurous soul and isn’t afraid to take the tunes, old and new, and turn them any which way but loose. His arrangements and approach are that of someone who plays contra dances where…

BILL MONROE: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF THE BLUE GRASS MAN BY TOM EWING Univ. of Ill. Press 9780252041891. Hardcover, 656 pp., 30 b&w photos, $34.95. (Univ. of Ill. Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, press.uillinois.edu.) Among the many things you can learn from Tom Ewing’s engaging, comprehensive biography of Bill Monroe is…

MICKEY GALYEAN & CULLEN’S BRIDGE SONGS FROM THE BLUE RIDGE Rebel Records REB CD 1866    In a time when so much sounds similar, it’s a joyous day when an album kicks your butt like its 1954, right from the fiddle kickoff on the first song. Songs From The Blue Ridgedoes precisely that for me. The veteran…