Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS CHRISTMAS THE MOUNTAIN WAY Rural Rhythm RCH-2016 Rural Rhythm has put together a nicely varied cast for a live bluegrass performance of primarily Christmas music, caught on both CD and DVD in this two-disc 16-cut package. Vocal performers include Audie Blaylock, Dale Ann Bradley, Cumberland River and Cumberland River Academy, the Gulleys, Darron…

THE ANDY CARLSON BAND FIDDLEHEAD No Label No Number Underneath this fiddle veneer lurks an accomplished violinist. At least it sounds that way to country ears. This evidence pops out of the speakers on the 12th cut, “Cadenza From The Fiddle Concerto.” I’m pretty sure Bill Monroe did not write this one, as Carlson claims…

LONESOME RIVER BAND CHRONOLOGY, VOLUME THREE Rural Rhythm RUR-1103 This third volume of some of the best of the Lonesome River Band’s earlier numbers is re-recorded here with the current lineup. The recording is short and sweet. Ten songs, about thirty minutes of music, is a bit short for the medium of a CD, but…

THE CROOKED JADES SOUNDTRACK FOR BRIGHT LAND Jade Note Music CJ009 One evening, the Crooked Jades band was playing in a local San Francisco club when an audience member got up and danced. That’s not unusual for this talented young string band, except that the fan wasn’t back-stepping to a hoedown. She was New York-based…

TAARKA ADVENTURES IN VAGABONDIA No Label No Number Taarka is fronted by a husband/wife duo currently based in Colorado. David and Enion Pelta-Tilla cover the mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and vocals between them, and are joined on this wide-ranging new acoustic project by over a dozen players, including Darol Anger, Tyler Grant, and Ross Martin on…

DAVID GRISMAN AND THE DEL McCOURY BAND DEL AND DAWG: HARDCORE BLUEGRASS IN THE DAWG HOUSE Acoustic Oasis ACD-50029 What could they possibly have in common—a kid from Hackensack, N.J., now based in San Rafael, Cal., and a fellow from York, Pa., who now works out of Nashville, Tenn.? Quite a bit, as it turns…