Reviews

TUSSEY MOUNTAIN MOONSHINERS SHINE No Label No Number In the liner notes, the following recipe appears: “How to make SHINE. 5 parts songwriters, 6 parts acoustic instrumentation, and 3-part harmonies. Age ingredients 18 months on many stages. Take fermented sour mash to the stillhouse, add one condenser microphone, and boil. Do not over mix.” The…

THE WEEPING WILLOWS BEFORE DARKNESS COMES A-CALLIN’ No Label No Number The second recording from Australian duo, Andrew Wrigglesworth and Laura Coates (The Weeping Willows) is a collection of original songs guaranteed to haunt. “We are the darker side of Americana,” Laura Coates says. “We are drawn to murder ballads, as well as spiritual hymns,…

NED LUBERECKI TAKE FIVE Clemment Luberecki Music CLM 0317    The ever quixotic Mr. Luberecki has produced an engaging outing here that will take the listener on a romp through a wide range of material with an extensive cast of musical partners. There are interesting and engaging banjo and fiddle duets with Becky Buller, hard-driving bluegrass…

THE GARRETT NEWTON BAND YOUNG HEART OLD SOUL Pinecastle Music PRC1204 Young looking even for 17, Garrett Newton is well on his way to making a name for himself in the bluegrass community with his first solo release Young Heart Old Soul. He’s been playing banjo since he was ten, when he started hanging out…

LARRY CORDLE GIVE ME JESUS Mighty Cord Records MCR1003 Singer-songwriter-producer Larry Cordle and his celebrated musical compatriots sure raise a joyful noise on this fine new gospel album. The 13 wisely-chosen songs are an inspired mixture of traditional spirituals (the title-tune and “Two Coats”) and powerful oldies (Carl Story’s “It’s A Lonesome Road,” A.E. Brumley’s…

DOS VALLEY TRIO JEWELS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN Mt. Wow CD002 This trio is composed of Harry Liedstrand on fiddle, guitar, and vocals, his wife Cindy on guitar, and Terry Barrett on mandolin and fiddle. This is their loving look back on part of the wealth of tunes and songs they learned from their mentors…