CANEY CREEK

CANEY CREEK
THE TALE OF WILLIE TACKETT

9 Lives Records
No Number

Caney Creek has followed the success of its first album, Cool Kentucky Rain, with a new offering, The Tale Of Willie Tackett. The group stayed in its lane with a release aimed straight at fans of traditional bluegrass. The group features Chris Smith on guitar and lead/tenor vocals, Mitch Meadors on mandolin and lead/tenor vocals, Stacy Wilcox on banjo and bass vocals, and Joe Robinson on bass and baritone vocals. They also got help from Junior Sisk, Clay Hess, and Stephen Burwell. Make no mistake though, this quartet needs no propping up, especially with Wilcox’s outstanding five-string work pushing a hard-driving sound.

Members penned nine of the 11 cuts, led by Smith who wrote or co-wrote six of those, including the standout title-track. Not to be missed are “Home On The Highway” and “Other Side Of Lonesome,” which features one of the all time greats in Sisk on lead vocals. “Cold Branch Hole” is a nice instrumental, and no true bluegrass album is complete without a gospel tune, that slot filled with “Lead Me To That City.” All in all, this is a nice album and a good sampling of what this band can do. The Tale Of Willie Tackett assures more is on the way from Caney Creek. (www.caneycreekband.com)MKB