Reviews

ALAN BIBEY AND WAYNE BENSON THE MANDOLIN CHRONICLES Pinecastle Records PRC 1183 For those who have ever wondered how Alan Bibey and Wayne Benson would approach the same tune, like say Bill Monroe’s “Pilgrim’s Knob” or Tommy Jackson’s “Crazy Creek,” here’s your opportunity to find out. Hearing their styles juxtaposed, particularly on the four mandolin-only…

VARIOUS ARTISTS GOD DIDN’T CHOOSE SIDES: CIVIL WAR TRUE STORIES ABOUT REAL PEOPLE, VOLUME ONE Rural Rhythm RUR-1095 Another Civil War recording? Well, yes. The Civil War continues gripping the imagination of listeners and artists and, in the case of Sam Passamano II, record executives alike. Passamano’s project is a bit different from the rest….

SCOTT BRANNON YOUR OLD STANDBY Patuxent Music PXCD 241 Since his early years, this Martinsburg, W.Va., native has established himself as one of the finest voices in bluegrass music. He grew up listening to his father’s records by Hank Williams and Reno & Smiley and had an opportunity to see the late Charlie Moore. He…

MILL RUN BLUEGRASS BAND GO BUILD MY CHURCH No Label No Number As the opener, “When I Reach That City,” bursts from the speaker, it is quickly apparent that the Mill Run Bluegrass Band has a deep grounding in the traditional bluegrass gospel genre and are pleased as can be to share those roots with…

MARY KETTERING NO RELATION No Label No Number Mary Kettering is currently the fiddler with Northwest Territory, a longstanding bluegrass band from Ohio. Here she plays with some former bandmates and favorite musicians. The project opens with a version of “Amazing Grace” complete with vocals and closes with an instrumental version of the same song….

THE SWEET LOWDOWN MAY No Label SLD2012 The Sweet Lowdown is comprised of three very talented women who reside on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Featuring fiddle, banjo, guitar, and three lovely singing voices with a seamless harmony, they easily inhabit a shifting musical landscape where bluegrass, old-time, folk, and Celtic music all feel like…