Reviews

TOWN MOUNTAIN LIVE AT THE ISIS No Label No Number    Ah, the live concert recording—a temptation to all bands. It is, after all, at the root of what musicians do. They play live for audiences. The studio album is the polished, controlled effort used to build audiences. Why then don’t more bands make live…

SHAWN LANE MOUNTAIN SONGS Cat Town Records CTR0044    For his second solo CD, his first since 2003, Shawn Lane calls upon family members and several close musical friends for backing. With him here are his brother Chad on harmony vocals, plus Gracie, Grayson (mandolin and one vocal), and Garrett (mandolin) Lane, along with Barry…

JUNIOR SISK AND RAMBLERS CHOICE TROUBLE FOLLOWS ME Rebel Records REB1857    Junior Sisk’s musical intentions are clear: “I want to continue to keep traditional bluegrass music alive. That is my goal.” Trouble Follows Me is his latest album that follows a string of successful recordings that have garnered him a few overdue IBMA Awards…

TONY TRISCHKA GREAT BIG WORLD Rounder Records 11661-9143-2    I have always enjoyed the music of Tony Trischka, as he represents the bubbling up of banjo music from more urban climes. Trischka is steeped in Scruggs-style banjo playing and can rip some traditional bluegrass with the best of them. Yet, he’s always followed his own…

INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS LET IT GO High Country Records HCR-003  The Infamous Stringdusters once again step forward with a new CD of crisp forward-thinking bluegrass music with Let It Go. I still wouldn’t call the Stringdusters a newgrass band, but they’re definitely a sharp-edged contemporary bluegrass group with an open mind who have sought to come…

CROSSPOINT WE’RE GONNA RISE Rural Rhythm RCH-2021    This is a great new contemporary gospel group from East Tennessee that really rises to the occasion on this new project produced by Steve Gulley. The band is Steve Partin (mandolin), Gary Kidwell (guitar), Alan Powers (banjo), Cleve May (resonator guitar), and Daniel Oxendine (bass). All the…