Reviews

CLAYTON KNIGHT RUNS REAL GOOD Eclectica Acoustica EA1201 Clayton Knight, a singer/songwriter guitarist based in Portland, Oreg., presents on his new CD a collection of nine vocals and one instrumental that skirts along the verge where bluegrass meets the older country styles of the 1930s. The bluegrass defines the general instrumentation and style of play,…

BOBBY OSBORNE & THE ROCKY TOP X-PRESS NEW BLUEGRASS & OLD HEARTACHES Rural Rhythm 1099 At age eighty, sixty-two years into his music career (including 48 years as a member of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry), singer-mandolin maestro Bobby Osborne is still going strong. This latest installment from Osborne and his band, the Rocky Top X-Press,…

BOB AMOS BORROWED TIME Bristlecone 1007 Twenty years ago, I reviewed in these pages the debut album from Colorado-based band Front Range, like this one on the Bristlecone label. The quartet, which featured the lead vocals and songwriting of Bob Amos, then released five albums with Sugar Hill and remained active through 2003, when a…

KELLER WILLIAMS WITH THE TRAVELIN’ McCOURYS PICK KW Enterprises/McCoury music SCIFI 1153 Keller Williams is known on the festival circuit as an ambitious if not eclectic artist. Sometimes playing solo and other times with a band, he is a musician determined to bring a unique take to acoustic music. In the last few years, however, he…

TOWN MOUNTAIN LEAVE THE BOTTLE Pinecastle Records PRC 1180 I had a good time listening to this new album by Town Mountain for the first time. Titled Leave The Bottle, this new project starts off with four songs in a row that are fun and upbeat and good. Hailing from Asheville, N.C., the sound of…

BANJO DAN KICK MOLLY THROUGH THE WALL Vermont Songbag VSB 109 This is a fun romp through an interesting program of original songs by Banjo Dan Lindner. It features lots of folks including his current lineup of the Mid-Nite Plowboys. The songs tend to be diverse in style and focus, exploring varying themes such as…