Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS MOUNTAINS OF MUSIC HOMECOMING 2015: THE LIVE CONCERT RECORDINGS The Crooked Road TCR002 Perhaps the two hardest recordings to review are live ones (since concerts are about entertaining a live audience rather than making an album) and multiple artist compilations lacking a single artistic vision. Mountains of Music Homecoming 2015: The Live Concert…

CURTIS WRIGHT Voxhall Records VHR-12004 Within the world of bluegrass there are the true believers who only want the true vine and the truth dealt up in the proper way. Sometimes pretenders who are good country singers make an album and try to pawn it off as bluegrass. But any real fan knows the difference….

STUART WYRICK EAST TENNESSEE SUNRISE Rural Rhythm RUR-1134 This first solo release by Wyrick showcases many of his musical friends including but not limited to Alan Bibey, Kenny Smith, Phil Leadbetter, and co-producer Steve Gulley. There are ten vocalists present on seven of the tunes. The balance are instrumentals and cuts that show off Wyrick’s…

JORDAN TICE HORSE COUNTY Patuxent Music CD-286 Jordan Tice has built quite an extensive recorded legacy given his relative youth. Thus far his reputation has been as a flatpicking guitarist, either via solo records or as part of small bands. He currently performs in a trio with fiddler Brittany Haas and bassist Paul Kowert. His…

NEW KENTUCKY COLONELS LIVE IN SWEDEN 1973 Roland White Music No Number First released on LP and then reissued as a CD by Rounder Records, the original version of Live In Sweden set the bar as one of the finest live bluegrass recordings ever issued. Capturing Clarence and Roland White, backed by their brother Eric…

TRINITY RIVER BAND THINGS WE DO FOR DREAMS Orange Blossom Records No Number The Trinity River Band has been busy. Real busy. Since 2014, this Florida-based family band has released five albums. That’s five in three years, and ten since they organized nine years ago. Some might argue that three in five years might be…