Reviews
Lost Soul/Rock & Roll
Joshua Rilko’s debut album, Lost Soul/Rock & Roll, is modern is all aspects of the word. It began as a Kickstarter project that exceeded the goal and has two distinctly different “sides” — one is bluegrassy and the other, while labeled “rock & roll,” really is more Americana-ish. A mandolin player, Rilko was formerly with…
Highland County
Ranch King Records Tim McDonald is originally from Virginia, an Army Veteran and graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music where he was mentored and befriended by Byron Berline and others. After the Army, McDonald moved to Nashville where he has become a sought-after studio pianist, recording with artists Blake Shelton, Pam Tillis, Mark…
Beyond the Ridge
It’s obvious on Truman’s Ridge’s fifth album, Beyond the Ridge, that this group is having fun and comfortable in presenting their version of bluegrass. The regional band that mainly plays in the Midwest and down into Tennessee and Kentucky wears retro outfits complete with fedoras and gathers around a single mic at shows. They refer…
The Dark Side of Lonesome
The long-awaited second album by Edgar Loudermilk on Rural Rhythm Records is available as of March 2022. This is one you’ll surely want for your collection. The project contains thirteen tracks, eight of which Loudermilk authored, bringing his songwriting credits to over fifty, including the Daryle Singletary recording “Can’t Live Life” with Rhonda Vincent. No…
Glade
Reckoner Records Guitarist Courtney Hartman first came to prominence on as a member of the bluegrass band Della Mae. Hartman distinguished herself as an elegant picker in the light touch tradition of Tony Rice and Bryan Sutton. In 2018, she left the band and began to reevaluate the sound of her songwriting and playing. Following…
One-Ring Circus
This eclectic instrumental exercise from celebrated maestro Tristan Scroggins is an intriguing exploration of melody and rhythmic fusion conducted on a 1920s-era four-string Paramount Style C-tenor banjo. This is a bit of a departure for Scroggins, who’s best known for his mandolin prowess. Though eminently listenable on its surface, the copious liner notes to One…