Reviews

This talented Arkansas duo masterfully inhabits an antediluvian musical “folk, bluegrass, Americana” realm similar to that of, say, Norman Blake. This fine 10-song collection magically revisits American styles that were popular in the 18th and early 20th centuries. Brad Apple’s and Pam Setser’s self-titled album (produced by Apple) opens with a smooth-as-silk rendition of “Hand…

Joe K. Walsh, who has collaborated with everyone from the Gibson Brothers to Darol Anger, is, to use a well-worn cliché, a musicians’ musician. He is a world-class mandolin player and accomplished composer and arranger whose formative influences run the gambit from Del McCoury to David Grisman. Walsh, who serves on the faculty of the…

Mickey Galyean hails from Low Gap, Surry County, North Carolina. He is the son of Cullen Galyean whose deep bluegrass legacy helped form young Mickey’s music. Galyean formed the Cullen’s Bridge band to continue and honor the traditional mountain music that has become his own style.  On this project, Galyean (guitar, vocals), is joined by…

I’m not going to lie—when I grabbed the newest CD in the stack for review, I didn’t think much beyond that the woodcut cover art was unique.  When Put All Your Troubles Away by the Foreign Landers started spinning, it only took a few seconds to grab my attention and it never let go. It…

This is Charlie Treat’s first foray into bluegrass, and with its austere, hard-charging guitar-banjo-bass-fiddle arrangements, it’s definitely very on-the-edge, and very compelling. As he explains in the accompanying press material, Treat has been steeped in traditional sounds since he was a kid growing up on a farm in New England, though along the way he’s…

Sessions, Volume 1 Formed over 16 years ago, this Chicago-based foursome have become true Bluegrass Ambassadors, having toured 25 countries, both on their own efforts and also as cultural representatives working with the US State Department. Tours include the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, and others, where the band offers concerts, workshops, and teachings…