Cast a Lonesome Shadow

Armed with a clear, invigorating tenor voice and a boatload of talent, Larry Stephenson shoots for the stars with Cast a Lonesome Shadow. Modeled in the form of traditional bluegrass, this record is packed with twists and turns. Stephenson isn’t afraid to incorporate  blues, folk and ragtime, thus making his own stamp on the genre and keeping the fans intrigued. 

  “Good Love Gets Better With Time” hits the ground running with fierce banjo picking from Derek Vaden that would make even Earl Scruggs proud. Suddenly a curve ball is thrown as the next song, “I Cast a Lonesome Shadow,” gets down to nitty gritty blues and has a feeling of Willie Nelson’s “Hello Walls” combined with “House of the Rising Sun.” 

Stephenson wails through his original tune “That’ll Get Me Through Missouri “ with a wonderful backing harmony from Stephenson, Vaden and Andy Brown on upright bass. Then a familiar route is taken with a very Hank Williams-styled “If You’re Gonna Leave Me.” There’s a subtle nuance of theatrical tale spinning combined with the feeling of a banquet celebration. It’s plain old stellar musical entertainment, heightened by dynamics like Deanie Richardson’s fiddling and the rock steady rhythm of Nick Dauphinais on guitar.

Despite these reoccurring themes that are common in most country and bluegrass albums, points for originality are due to Larry Stephenson for his unique weaving of these styles into a cloth all his own. Like his voice, his songs stand out as both contemporary and refreshingly new at the same time. Currently, Larry Stephenson is celebrating 35 years since he first started the Larry Stephenson Band in 1989. Cast a Lonesome Shadow is number one across global charts. Band members are up for IBMA nominations and Stephenson has been hailed as one of the greatest tenor voices of bluegrass. The man must be doing something right.