Reviews

VARIOUS ARTISTS CHRISTMAS ALONG THE CROOKED ROAD No Label No Number There are, of course, no bad Christmas records, just varying degrees of quality between those that are all-time classics and those that are enjoyable. The sense of the season and the associations and themes the songs recall dictate such. A classic Christmas recording would…

TUSSEY MOUNTAIN MOONSHINERS I’M GOING HOME No Label, No Number From smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners leap off the first track with a hard-charging version of “Hello City Limits” that would make Country Gazette proud. Winners of the 2010 DelFest band competition, the Tussey Mountain Moonshiners exude rich talent,…

STEFAN COLIND THE STRINGS ALIVE PROJECT Strings Alive Music STRINGS 001 Danish composer, mandolinist and banjoist Stefan Colind has played in a range of bands including Train 45, Sugar Hill, and the New York City Cowfreaks since 1994, but The Strings Alive Project seems to be his first solo release. With 14 tracks, this “tribute…

SPRING CREEK HOLD ON ME No Label, No Number Starting with Hot Rize and Front Range, Colorado has a long tradition of bluegrass bands with unique identities based on great vocals, interesting original material and strong instrumental skills. To that list, we can now add Spring Creek, which like its namesake rises cool and clear…

BOJ OSBORNE IN THE TRADITION Rocky Top X-Press Records RTX-0001 Boj Osborne debuts with an album somewhat centered in sound created by his mandolin-playing father and banjo-playing uncle, hence the album’s title, but one that also goes its own way quite a bit, which is, of course, also part of his family’s tradition. Wondering how…

BLUEGRASS 43 THE WITCH No Label Si-Sol7/4 Since Bluegrass 43 has not had a new recording on the market since 1989, a brief re-introduction seems in order. Formed in 1977 in France, the group has had at least two previous CDs to their name—Country Swing and Old Old Truck—and currently consists of bassist/vocalist Alain Audras,…