Reviews
DETOUR, GOING NOWHERE FAST
DETOUR GOING NOWHERE FAST Mountain Fever Records MFR140329 Right out of the chute, Detour lets you know they are no-nonsense new bluegrass with drive, taste, great harmonies, and the sweet singing of Missy Armstrong puts the icing on a great cake. The songs are uplifting and draw upon tradition without restating worn-out themes. On…
LEARNING TO FIDDLE, BLUEGRASS STYLE
LEARNING TO FIDDLE, BLUEGRASS STYLE BY NEIL ROSSI—KdV Music kdvb-0001. Two CDs included, 225 pp., spiral-bound, $32.95. (KdV Music, 143 Huntley Rd., Westford, VT 05494, www.kdvmusic.com.) This thorough volume is a wonderful resource for the serious student of bluegrass fiddle. Not a long listing of hot licks or a series of tunes, it is a…
MICHAEL CLEVELAND AND FLAMEKEEPER, ON DOWN THE LINE
MICHAEL CLEVELAND AND FLAMEKEEPER ON DOWN THE LINE Compass Records 746342 This may be the best time ever in Michael Cleveland’s career. Known as one of the bluegrass world’s best fiddlers since he was very young, Cleveland and Flamekeeper have four IBMA Instrumental Group Of The Year nods and he has individually won nine IBMA…
OLD SOUTH, THE HANGING TREE
OLD SOUTH THE HANGING TREE No Label No Number Old South is a veteran bluegrass quintet hailing from Adelaide in southern Australia. They have experience, enthusiasm, a nice repertoire of original songs written in the traditional style, and a resonator guitarist named Leonard Cohen (who really should look into teaming up with the Seldom…
JOHN BOWMAN, WORSHIP HIM
JOHN BOWMAN WORSHIP HIM Pisgah Ridge PR 15462 John Bowman’s last solo gospel recording was one given entirely to the songs of Joe Isaacs. This time, Bowman casts his song net a bit wider, mixing together a couple of traditional tunes—“God’s Not Dead” and “Summer’s Gone (My God Made It All)”—with songs both old…
AFTER JACK, ECHO
AFTER JACK ECHO Travianna Records TR140422 After Jack is a trio of young ladies from the Virginia/North Carolina/Tennessee area and this is a mostly original project showing their strong influences of old-time, bluegrass, and Americana music. The trio is Mary Allison (guitar and percussion), Emily Blankenship (bass), and Rachel Blankenship (banjo, mandolin, and percussion)….