Reviews
Morning Shift
The Steep Canyon Rangers have championed what has become known as the Carolina sound for well over 20 years. On Morning Shift, the group’s 14th studio album, they continue doing what they do best…crafting songs around stories. This is the first album since founding member guitarist/vocalist Woody Platt decided to step away to spend more…
Here Within My Heart
Veteran Tina Adair has a lovely voice with a bit of a teardrop in it. After growing up in a family band, she launched her solo career at age 17 on Sugar Hill Records. She’s more or less stayed in the game since then. She spent a number of years as part of the Grammy-nominated…
Rasa
Don Giovanni Records, Dg-271 RASA is a Sanskrit term for defining an artist’s essence. This project was first recorded and released in 1980 and created a fusion of music from East and West that became a much listened to and talked about undertaking. Now the project has been remastered and is again being made available,…
Ida 2
Ida Clare offers a new project of original material that blends their mix of bluegrass styles. The band is based in Louisville, Kentucky and includes Lea Cockrell (vocals, guitar), Jim Wheatley (vocals, mandolin, harmonica, guitar), Robin Thixton (vocals, banjo), and Nick Stevens (bass, piano). Others include Rob Edwards (percussion), Jeff Guernsey (fiddle, resonator guitar), Todd…
Coulee Creek
Coulee Creek features singer-songwriter Sarah Jackson and poet Rita Mae Reese. The group also includes Beth Becker (fiddle, cello), Michael James (resonator guitar), David Strudthoff (banjo), Tom Baker (guitar, bass), and Cori Vought (vocals). Guest artists are Brett Huus (harmonica), Terry Nirva (cajon), and Josh Rabie (mandolin). Most of them hail from the Wisconsin/Minnesota area…
Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter – Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector,
University of Illinois Press Although not as well-known as the Southeastern United States, the Ozarks region of Missouri and Arkansas has long been a hotbed of fine old-time fiddling, folk ballad singing, and bluegrass music. One of the primary reasons that so many ballads and tunes from the Ozarks have been faithfully preserved over the…