Greener Grass

Billy Swinson is a bluegrass artist that has been playing and writing music for a couple of decades and has now stepped up his game with his first solo project and the help of resophonic guitar player Randy Kohrs.  Swinson, a Florida resident, wrote eight of the ten tracks and contributes the mandolin breaks and lead vocals on seven songs.

Using his former North Carolina background, Swinson wants to broaden the generally traditional bluegrass audience with not only two traditional songs from the Louvin Brothers and the Carter Family, but also by adding several instrumentals, more new contemporary songs and a gospel number.  Swinson’s project showcases his talents as an independent singer/songwriter.  He continues to play on the side with Deano Graham & the Grass Wagon Revival as well as the Greeneer Grass Band.

Colleague Jason Owen gets the recording off with strong, tight vocals on “Greener Grass.”  Excellent backing is provided by Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on fiddle (Molly Tuttle and Mile Twelve), Evan Winsor on bass, young hot picker Aubrey King on guitar, and Scott Vestal on banjo.

Swinson sings lead on “Damned Ole Hurricane,” a connection for his Florida friends.  He also provides the lead on “Blame It On Me,” lamenting the effects of inflation and life’s workload.  Billy sings of the death of a loved one in “Deeper Than the Sea,” surely to tug the listener’s heart.  Shaun Richardson provides acoustic guitar on this track as well as the Carter Family standard “Lonesome Day.”

In “Pieces” the singer longs for the woman he loves to use the glue they had that bound them to grow and start to mend the man and keep the pieces of their lives from falling to the ground.  Randy Kohrs adds resophonic and acoustic guitar touches as well as harmony vocals.

The instrumental “Billy’s Bounce” adds the bass of Curtis Vestal, who is also on three other tracks, and a faint touch of harmonica from Eric Thompson.  “Thank You Dear Lord” was written by Billy in the ‘90s for the Pizza Hut Showdown competition as performed by Code Blue.  Swinson adds, “This song gives closure to the CD as almost a benediction of sorts.”

Swinson has pulled together a first-rate album that perhaps should have been produced much earlier, but life got in the way while plans were being made.  Thankfully, we have it now to enjoy.  He believes without divine intervention, these songs would have never reached our ears.

Copies of the recording may be ordered at
https://themostinterestingmaninmusic.com/