Reviews

JEFF BROWN AND STILL LONESOME BLUE SIDE OF ME Mountain Fever Records MFR 130610 Jeff Brown and Still Lonesome perform bluegrass in a straightforward, traditional style that conjures up visions of Larry Sparks’ Lonesome Ramblers and Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys. Individual vocal credits are not given, but it appears Jeff Brown sings all the…

KRISTY COX LIVING FOR THE MOMENT Pisgah Ridge PR15172  Australian Kristy Cox has come to Nashville and also joined the folks at Pisgah Ridge Records to produce a wonderful new project produced by Jerry Salley. Salley also co-wrote six of the ten new songs on this CD, and Cox herself co-wrote five. Accompanying Cox on…

JOE MULLINS & THE RADIO RAMBLERS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS, THE CENTERVILLE ALTERNATIVE STRINGS No Label No Number More bluegrass bands should release videos of their shows. One per band would do it, just to give people a better sense of the band. There are technical hurdles, but the positives outweigh them, usually. Joe Mullins &…

DOC WATSON THE GUITAR ARTISTRY OF DOC WATSON Vestapol 13130 There never will be someone like Doc Watson again. A man of high integrity, inspirational talent, and a positive force on all of those who met him and heard or saw him perform. The first time this writer saw him perform was almost fifty years…

CINDY G THE ROAD Blue Road Records CD01-073112    Cindy G is a songwriter, singer, and mandolinist from central New Jersey who calls what she does “bluegrass with a twist.” But TheRoad is really a fairly straightforward bluegrass album that eschews most of the standards, with the exception of respectful versions of “Wayfaring Stranger” and…

STEEP RAVINE TRAMPIN’ ON No Label No Number Whether you’re listening to traditional or progressive bluegrass, it can be difficult to find new music that isn’t highly derivative. So, after listening to this CD fronted by the clear wispy tenor voice of Simon Linsteadt (lead singer, principal songwriter, and guitarist of the California-based quartet Steep…