Reviews

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…

BYRON BERLINE FLYIN’ FINGERS Double Stop Music DSMCD-05 Flyin’ Fingers, the latest release from Byron Berline, is undoubtedly a fiddle album. However, to stop there would be sort of like saying the 1946 Red Sox had Ted Williams, without mentioning Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and Bobby Doerr, as well as two 20-game winning pitchers. Berline,…

TRAVERS CHANDLER ARCHAIC Patuxent Music CD-262 Travers Chandler’s 2010 Patuxent Music debut roared out of the gate, filling the air with a hard-edged sound, some very-fine old style mandolin work and intense, emotional singing to match the intense, emotional stories his song selection told. It was instantly engrossing and instantly likeable for anyone with a…

CLAIRE LYNCH NORTH BY SOUTH Compass Records 7-4671-2 Veteran Claire Lynch, her producer Alison Brown, and the illustrious team of collaborators they’ve gathered here have really hit the high watermark on this fantastic ten-song collection. As a singer, Lynch, a three-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, has never sounded so compelling, so dazzling, and…