DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE, SNAPSHOTS

DARIN & BROOKE ALDRIDGE
SNAPSHOTS

Mountain Home
MH15762

This fine release shows the ever-growing depth of this fine duo and their very talented band. Their reach for new material has taken them far and wide. From Gillian Welch to Uncle Dave Macon to the old pop standard “Let It Be Me.” Their band is in top form making this quite a fine recording. Add to that some top-tier guests and you have a great recording. Sam Bush guests on the first cut, “Get Up John,” and that sets the tone for what is to come. The very next cut features Bobby Hicks’ fiddle on “My Rose Of Old Kentucky,” and they drive this one all the way to the fencerow. Doyle Lawson joins them for a bit of nostalgia on Eddie Adcock’s “Let’s,” and Ricky Skaggs joins them on “When He Calls.” Steve McMurry joins them for his song “Better Place.”

Three standout cuts are “Annabelle,” “Tennessee Flat Top Box” (where Brooke’s vocal is fine), and the closing cut “Wait Till The Clouds Roll By” (perhaps the most tender song ever done by Uncle Dave Macon gets a sweet treatment here). They are not afraid to pare down the band and let their voices shine revealing a great beauty. The vocal trio of Darin, Brooke, and Becky Buller on “He’s A Coming” is as fine as any on the recording. Great singing, great picking, and strong material make this a don’t miss project for fans or anyone else who loves contemporary bluegrass done well. (Mountain Home, P.O. Box 829, Arden, NC, 28704, www.mountainhomemusiccompany.com.)RCB