Reviews
Love Away The Hate
Andrew Collins, the talented Canadian mandolinist, composer and mando-family master, has a lot on his mind these days. “Throughout my years of playing music, community, collaboration and compassion have always been the cornerstone of it all,” Collins says explaining his decision to record the first solo album of his distinguished career following the lingering pandemic…
Across the Divide
There are more than a few instances on this ambitious and vibrant song collection that seem to harken back to the forever-young heyday of late `60s and early `70s country rock and the formative sounds of bands like The Byrds, The Burrito Brothers and Poco. The key ingredient is a youthful sense of bravado leavened…
So Much Time, So Much Love
Johnny and Jeanette Williams bring a long and strong bluegrass resume to this collaboration with Jay Shelton, who after decades in rock music has returned to his bluegrass roots. The result is So Much Time, So Much Love, a fun debut from the trio that calls itself Shelton & Williams. The album offers covers…
Unspoken Tradition
Mountain Home Music There are lots of things that can be said about Imaginary Lines, the latest release from Unspoken Tradition. Several of the songs received early airplay and there’s been no shortage of ink run through presses about the album. But this review can summarize things in two words: simply outstanding. First, there are…
All In Time
Nearly two decades into their career, this self-described “genre-bending” rural North Carolina-based band, led by brothers Bryon and Fitz McMurray and cousin Steve McMurry, seems to have explored nearly every corner of the stylistic map at one time or another. Their latest release manages to cover a little bit of everything from bluegrass-tinged acoustic…
Kristi
Pikeville, Kentucky native Kristi Stanley has definitely found her groove and grown comfortable with her versatility on this finely executed song collection. Produced by Steve Wilson, Kristi has a fair share of straight-up bluegrass picking, but there are also stylistic forays into gospel, classic country, and hints of rock n’ roll here and there. Stanley, wife of…