Reviews

THE GENTLEMEN OF BLUEGRASS CAROLINA MEMORIES Pinecastle Records PRC1188    They do and they don’t. A decided lean toward the Country Gentlemen is evident on this Pinecastle debut from the Gentlemen of Bluegrass. Five of the tracks are covers of tunes once covered by the CG, including “Traveling Kind,” “This Morning At Nine,” “Blue Birds…

BRYAN SUTTON INTO MY OWN Sugar Hill SUG-CD-4105 Bryan Sutton has long been revered as one of the most accomplished and innovative acoustic guitarists on the scene. Novice guitarists no doubt study his techniques the way young, aspiring painters study masterpieces in The Louvre. Now, with his aptly-named fourth album for Sugar Hill, Sutton has…

UNSPOKEN TRADITION SIMPLE LITTLE TOWN No Label CRA 002    Split by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the western North Carolina-based members of Unspoken Tradition have melded into a polished ensemble with strong original material, abundant talent, and an already distinctive sound subtly more trad than most new bands. Simple Little Town proves an auspicious debut…

THE DOWNTOWN MOUNTAIN BOYS HEARTLAND No label No number Let’s see…plenty of superlatives? Check. Showers of accolades? Check. Glowing tributes? Check. Then we’re off. The Downtown Mountain Boys are a group of five veteran Puget Sound area musicians who have been together for at least seven years. Heartland is their second release. To begin with,…

DENNIS ELLIOTT FIDDLER’S DREA No Label No Number    This self-produced CD features Elliott’s obvious talents on banjo, mandolin, guitar, and especially fiddle. He has won many contests on fiddle, banjo, and mandolin, not only in his native Louisiana, but also in his current home in Virginia and beyond. His playing on these instruments is…

VOLUME FIVE THE DAY WE LEARN TO FLY Mountain Fever Records MFR140318 With several recordings under their belt, Volume Five takes their turn at an all-gospel recording. Such recordings can be tricky for bands. Often a band will let the material dictate their sound. They’ll sound one way as a secular group and roundly different…