Reviews

KRISTIN SCOTT BENSON STRINGWORKS Mountain Home MH16602 Kristin Scott Benson of The Grascals has been recognized among the top five-string artists for some time. The delightful Stringworks will only enhance that reputation. Unlike many albums by noted pickers, Stringworks distinguishes itself by including a balanced half-dozen each tunes and songs. The latter, in addition, feature…

WENDY MILLER & COUNTRY GRASS Old Homestead OHS-90226    They don’t make bluegrass like this much anymore. Great vocals, fine picking rooted deep in the genre, and fiddling worthy of a Western Swing band make this an exemplary album. Wendy Miller played mandolin with Larry Sparks along with Mike Lilly, before he played with J.D. Crowe….

THE GOSPEL PLOWBOYS WELCOME HOME Mountain Fever MFR160610 What catches and holds the listener when hearing the Gospel Plowboys for the first time, myself included, is the manner in which they offer their vocals. Smooth. Seamless. Stirring. Clear. Lead or harmony, they never arrange it to cause themselves to strain, and they rarely include soaring,…

ROBERT MABE SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE Frogtown Music 21170 After two years of preparation, Robert Mabe offers up his debut recording. Mabe is a stellar banjo player from West Virginia and a member of Drymill Road. Joining him on this album are fiddler Patrick McAvinue, guitarists Clay Jones and Buddy Dunlap, bassist David Shepherd, mandolinist…

KYLE TUTTLE BOBCAT No Label No Number There’s a challenge in all-instrumental albums. You better have the chops or the tunes or the arrangements. If you don’t have at least two of those, and preferably all three, you can lose an audience real quick. Banjoist Kyle Tuttle debuts with an all-instrumental, predominantly original album. Tuttle’s…

SCOTT NYGAARD, JOHN REISCHMAN, SHARON GILCHRIST HARMONIC TONE REVEALERS Corvus Records 023 John Reischman’s place in bluegrass mandolin is unchallenged and undeniable. Few other mandolin players have succeeded in establishing such a signature tone, buoyed by impeccable taste and dazzling musicianship. To paraphrase an old banking commercial, when John Reischman plays, we listen. Add to…