Reviews

STEPHEN WADE ACROSS THE AMERIKEE Smithsonian Folkways SFW40223 Stephen Wade is arguably the best nongrass five-string banjo player around. His loyal following includes people who saw Banjo Dancing, his one-man stage show created from folksongs, stories, banjo tunes, and his own personal insights. Among other venues, he presented it nightly at Washington’s Arena Stage for…

BALSAM RANGE IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME Mountain Home MH16962 Here is a great new stocking-stuffer from Balsam Range just in time for the Christmas season. Balsam Range is Tim Surrett (bass, resonator guitar), Buddy Melton (fiddle), Darren Nicholson (mandolin, octave mandolin), Dr. Marc Pruett (banjo) and Caleb Smith (guitar). The project also includes the string section…

DAVID GRISMAN AND TONY RICE DAWG AND T: LIVE AT ACOUSTIC STAGE Acoustic Disc ACD-CD-50053 Now that Tony Rice is essentially retired from active playing, chances to hear new recordings from him lie in the archives. That’s what this recording is, a two-CD set from a live show he and David Grisman recorded in 1997…

RED HERRING HERE TO DISTRACT YOU No Label No Number This is a 12-track release that features sultry blues, sparsely accompanied ballads, introspective singer-songwriter material, gypsy swing with eastern European infusions (or vice versa), sly novelty songs, and driving bluegrass. It could pass comfortably as an anthology of diverse styles and players. However, as a…

CANE MILL ROAD FIVE SPEED No Label No Number It’s a good sign that there are so many fresh faces coming into bluegrass these days. They don’t get much fresher or younger looking than Cane Mill Road. The band, already making a name for itself, has released its first album, Five Speed. The group from…

KIM ROBINS RAINING IN BALTIMORE Pinecastle Records PRC 1205 It was beginning to look like another forty years wait for Kim Robins’ second release. Her first, titled 40 Years Late, was self-released in 2013. Then came another gap. Now this new one finally arrives, and it seems to have been worth the delay. Not only…