Reviews

CHERYL J. WATSON WATERTOWN No Label No Number Labeling Florida singer-songwriter Cheryl Watson’s debut a bluegrass release is open to debate. Given the ever-expanding state of contemporary bluegrass, you could make an argument for including it, and certainly four tracks do feature the banjo. That said, her 13-song CD (12 originals) is too diverse to…

CROWE ON THE BANJO: THE MUSIC LIFE OF J.D. CROWE BY MARTY GODBEY University of Illinois Press 978-00252-07825-5 The publication of this book by the respected University of Illinois Press as part of their Music In American Life series is a major event for three reasons: 1.) It’s a captivating and comprehensive biography of a…

DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE SO MUCH IN BETWEEN Mountain Home Music MH13612 Anyone who might have heard cuts from the debut, self-titled album from Darin and Brooke Aldridge and wondered, “Who are they?” needs to go ahead and get acquainted with the self-styled “Sweethearts Of Bluegrass.” You’re going to be hearing their names a lot….

DEHLIA LOW RAVENS AND CROWS Rebel Records REB-CD-1842 Dehlia Low, favorites of the Asheville area roots music scene since their formation in 2007, are anything but a traditional bluegrass band. They don’t even include the banjo. Yet Dehlia Low combines mountain-inflected vocals and bluegrass harmonies with more modern picking style into music that successfully crosses…

DELLA MAE I BUILT THIS HEART No Label No Number Once upon a time, all-female bluegrass and old-time bands were a rarity, as each era produced a challenge to a male-dominated style—the Coon Creek Girls, the Any Old Time String Band, the Buffalo Gals, the All-Girl Boys, and more paved the way for equality and…

ERNIE MARTINEZ BLUE RANGE No Label EM 2011 Each region of the country still retains some reflection of its original settlers and something of a regional flavor that marks their lifestyle. Martinez is from Colorado and his music is strongly influenced by the presence of the cowboy and elements of the “western” of country-and-western and…