Reviews

DONNA ULISSE HARD CRY MOON Hadley Music HMG1016    Donna Ulisse has become one of our music’s most solid, consistent, and prolific songwriters, as this new project shows. Like most writers, many of her songs are based on personal experiences, her faith, remembrances, and life’s observations. She is joined on this project by Bryan Sutton (guitar),…

THE LINDSEY FAMILY CROSSES AND STONES Lindsey Family Records LFR 0011 Eleven kids explains how the Lindsey Family can have a 13-year-old on banjo as they release their eighth album. They do it by having, as they write, “several kids in the bullpen.” Some move on. Others are brought up. The current lineup consists of…

JOHN REISCHMAN AND THE JAYBIRDS ON A WINTER’S NIGHT Corvus Records CR023 I love Christmas music. From the day after Thanksgiving until the end of the year, it is all that gets played around my house. So I’m always on the lookout for new holiday releases to add to my collection. On A Winter’s Night…

SLOCAN RAMBLERS COFFEE CREEK No Label No Number This Canadian quartet captures the breadth and depth of bluegrass that bands in the chilly North aspire to. They bring a wealth of talent and musical expertise to their work and dig deeper than the average band to come up with a sound that’s not only original,…

RHONDA VINCENT CHRISTMAS TIME Upper Mgmt. Music UM009 Rhonda Vincent’s Christmas Time is her new project just in time for the holiday season. She’s joined by Brent Burke (resonator guitar), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Kevin Grantt (bass), Aubrey Haynie (mandolin), Brent Rader (percussion), Aaron McDaris (banjo), Jake Stargel (guitar), Josh Williams (guitar), and Jens Kruger (banjo)….

HOT RIZE WHEN I’M FREE Ten In Hand Records THR9001    When I’m Free is the first studio recording by the legendary Hot Rize in over twenty years and, thankfully, it more than lives up to the hype. The group was very influential during its initial run in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, producing music that…