Reviews

TRINITY RIVER BAND BETTER THAN BLUE Orange Blossom Records No Number    With their fourth recording, the Trinity River Band makes a subtle change. Where once they recorded three standards per album, here they only include one, a throttle-open rendition of “Mystery Train,” sung with great verve by the group’s principle lead singer, Sarah Harris….

THE SAME OLD NEWGRASS BAND No label 2813    Even in an age in which we’ve had some twenty to forty years of crossover covers, it can come as a bit of a surprise to hear some of these songs attempted by a bluegrass/old-time outfit. I’m not including “Midnight Rider” or “When Will I Be…

MISSY RAINES AND THE NEW HIP NEW FRONTIER Compass Records 746042    Missy Raines is a kick-butt bassist, and with seven Bass Player Of The Year trophies from the IBMA, I’m not alone in my opinion. Frankly, her vocals hadn’t really captured my attention, and I had completely underestimated her talented pipes until this CD….

THE ORIGINAL FIVE GREETINGS FROM MÖLLEVÅNGEN Rootsy 094    This is a notable debut by a band that obviously gives good value: The Original Five is actually a seven-piece group (two guitars, banjo, resonator, fiddle, mandolin, and standup bass). It originated in the summer of 2010, playing gigs in the Möllevången district in the town…

CHESAPEAKE HOOK, LIVE & SINKER Chesterbury Records CR001    In the course of its relatively brief five-year/three-album run, Chesapeake (comprised of three former members of the Seldom Scene, along with the eminently talented Jimmy Gaudreau on vocals, mandolin, and guitar) made some fine, groundbreaking music. But Chesapeake’s bold, free-wheeling penchant for stacking hefty doses of…

KRÜGER BROTHERS SPIRIT OF THE ROCKIES Double Time Music DTM-024    Sit back and allow your ears to take you on a musical excursion of the Canadian Rockies. Casting his eyes on that breathtakingly beautiful landscape for the first time, Jens Krüger began to imagine a creative array of notes that would attempt to capture…