Reviews

SCOTT HOLSTEIN COLD COAL TOWN Coal Records, No Number This is an outstanding recording in every way. With a rich baritone voice reminiscent of country singer Josh Turner and a talent for writing straight-to-the-gut lyrics wrapped up in strong melodies, Scott Holstein has hit one out of the park with Cold Coal Town. These great…

TERRY BAUCOM IN A GROOVE John Boy & Billy/Dualtone 1006 Terry Baucom has been playing bluegrass for a long time. He was a fiddler with the late Charlie Moore about thirty-plus years ago. He played banjo with Ricky Skaggs in Boone Creek and then proceeded to play in a long list of bands throughout the…

THE BROMBIES FROM THE PINEY HILLS (OF HOLLYWOOD) Adina 1002 From the piney hills of Hollywood, Cal., come the Brombies, the name being a variant of the term for Australian wild horses (“brumbies”). The Brombies are made up of the husband and wife team of George and Jo Ellen Doering, Bill Bryson, and Patrick Sauber….

THE BYRON BERLINE BAND RUNAWAY Doublestop Music No Number Byron Berline built a good bit of his reputation playing in and among the California bluegrass and country rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s. Those bands had an affinity for bright, pop-influenced melodies and backing. They also didn’t shy away from covering rock tunes, nor…

THE DEL MCCOURY BAND & THE PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AMERICAN LEGACIES McCoury Music/Preservation Hall Recordings MCM0015 Two of the most respected music forms, bluegrass and jazz, find a common ground from their roots that dig deep into the music culture of the American South in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. And who better to…

TONY HOLT & THE WILDWOOD VALLEY BOYS LOST HIGHWAYS & TREASURED MEMORIES Old Heritage Records OHR 1001 Tony Holt sings and Aubrey Holt writes, and all is right with the latest Wildwood Valley Boys CD. Of the fourteen songs on this recording, Aubrey wrote seven of them; songs of lost pride, lost love, a trucker’s…