Skip to content
Register |
Lost your password?
Subscribe
logo
  • Magazine
  • The Tradition
  • The Artists
  • The Sound
  • The Venue
  • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Lessons
  • Jam Tracks
  • The Archives
  • Log in to Your Account
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Search
  • Login
  • Contact
Search
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Festival Guide
    • Talent Directory
    • Workshops/Camps
    • Our History
    • Staff
    • Advertise
    • Contact
  • The Tradition
  • The Artists
  • The Sound
  • The Venue
  • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Lessons
  • Jam Track
  • The Archives

Home > Articles > Reviews > Back In Again

KentuckyShine-Feature

Back In Again

Bob Allen|Posted on March 1, 2023|Reviews|No Comments
FacebookTweetEmailPrint

This impressive young band from Owensboro, Kentucky, home of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum, is starting to get some well-deserved attention beyond the banks of the Ohio River.

Kentucky Shine’s members—JB Miller on guitar, Steven Stewart on fiddle, Ross Clark on bass and Jordan Riehm on banjo—are just as at home playing traditional bluegrass as they ​delving into swing (as on a delightful reprise of “Sweet Georgia Brown”) and old-time mountain music (as on their haunting take on “Wayfaring Stranger”). The quartet’s confident picking is augmented with some fine original songwriting on their latest album.

“Bonsai Me” aptly showcases the band’s instrumental prowess. This bold, tempo and mood-shifting, six-minute-long excursion opens with a spooky and somewhat Far Eastern-sounding interlude that bursts into a frenetic crescendo that’s full of cleverness and bravado.

The band shifts gears on “Clifty Creek,” another delightful instrumental. It’s fast-paced old-timey fiddle reel that sounds like it was ripped straight from the Kentucky hills and hollows of yesteryear.

The melancholy ballad, “Crossroads To Elsewhere” is an imaginative reframing of the age-old devil-at-the-crossroads theme. “Lillydale” is a soulful and compelling dive into sweet childhood memories of family reunions at a pastoral Tennessee campground. “Day Dreaming” is a wistful love song with a captivating melody that deals with lost-in-longing infatuation.

Other high points include “Lonesome Teardrops,” a high-lonesome lament about a faithless sweetheart and “Lost In The Pines,” which expresses longing for the peace and serenity of an old home place nestled in evergreen seclusion. The latter cut also features some spot-on harmony singing.

FacebookTweetEmailPrint
Share this article
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

March 2023

Flipbook

logo
A Publication of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum / Owensboro, KY
  • Magazine
  • The Tradition
  • The Artists
  • The Sound
  • The Venue
  • Reviews
  • Survey
  • New Releases
  • Online
  • Directories
  • Archives
  • About
  • Our History
  • Staff
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Subscriptions
Connect With Us
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
bluegrasshalloffame
tannerpublishing
tannerwest
Subscribe
Give as a Gift
Send a Story Idea

Copyright © 2023 Tanner Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Website by Tanner+West

Subscribe For Full Access

Digital Magazines are available to paid subscribers only. Subscribe now or log in for access.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!