Reviews

SCOTT PROUTY SHAKING DOWN THE ACORNS Old-Time Tiki Parlour 016 Scott Prouty is one of a fine group of young fiddlers making a name for themselves playing old-time music. This combination set of CD and DVD features two dozen solo performances by Prouty on fiddle and banjo. There are great tunes from West Virginia, Missouri,…

JOHN LOWELL THIS LONG STRETCH OF GRAVEL Beartooth Records BR0010    Known to many as one half of the Growling Old Men with Ben Winship, Lowell is a guitarist and songwriter from Montana, where more good music happens than most folks probably know about. The first sounds on this project include Joe Newberry’s old-time banjo and…

SOUTH CAROLINA BROADCASTERS HOME TO STAY Patuxent Music CD-338 Bluegrass and old-time music are distinct genres, though old-time is clearly one of the key progenitors of bluegrass. However, there is a gray area between them, which is precisely where this CD resides. There are songs such as “Rocky Island,” which are common in the bluegrass…

THE GOSPEL PLOWBOYS WHEN THE CROPS ARE LAID BY Morning Glory Music MGM191101 Sometimes, a CD passes through your hands that once it’s popped into the player and started, it stops the listener cold. The Gospel Plowboys’ latest effort When the Crops Are Laid By did just that. I’m sorry to say I wasn’t at all familiar…

FULL CORD BLUEGRAS CHOREOMANIA No Label No Number Choreomania is the phenomenon of dancing (as in choreography) in an energetically crazed or manic state, which characterized outbreaks of mass “dancing plagues” in Europe some five centuries ago. But no worries! I’ve listened several times to Choreomania, both at my desk and in my car. While I…

DONNA ULISSE TIME FOR LOVE Blue Records BBR-1092 This is Donna Ulisse’s eleventh solo project, her first since signing with Billy Blue Records, and her second to be produced by her friend Doyle Lawson. She’s an award-winning songwriter, and her songs have been recorded by such artists as The Bankesters, Claire Lynch, Darin & Brooke…