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 > GRITS & SOUL, FLOOD WATERS

RR-GRITS-SOUL

GRITS & SOUL, FLOOD WATERS

Bluegrass Unlimited|Posted on March 25, 2014|Reviews|No Comments
FacebookTweetEmailPrint

GRITS & SOUL
FLOOD WATERS

No Label
No Number

Up from Mississippi, now working out of Asheville, N.C., Grits & Soul is the duo of Anne Kline and John Looney. Though she plays guitar, Kline here appears only as a singer, although to say “only” in any context about her singing is a mistake. She can sing, no doubt about it. Growling, slurring, soaring, swooping, note-bending, word-bending, and a strong vibrato, they’re all part of her power-packed technique. Looney, on the other hand, sings a lead or two, but is primarily an instrumentalist, playing mandolin and guitar. “Blue Friday” and the instrumental “Carolina Fox Chase” give him a chance to stretch out a bit and show off his chops. Filling out the band are a group of solid pickers, the most recognizable being fiddler Nicky Sanders and banjoist Kyle Tuttle.

This 11-song (all originals) CD is their debut and a very good one at that. Bluegrass tunes such as “Lights On The Mountain,” which has a decidedly ’70s-style about it, and “Blue Friday,” with it’s wailing, energetic tale of getting in and out of a questionable romance, stand beside fine honky-tonk tunes such as “Listen Here, Darlin’” and “Just Say The Word” and the heavily blues and gospel-influenced sound of the title tune and the vocals-only trio of “Carry Me Away.”

At the outset is “Marretta Jeane,” a tune who’s percolating, slightly old-time rhythm and Carter Family-tinged lilt mask a sordid tale of murder and love. Sordid or not, it’s hard not to be drawn in by the excellent tune, the tale, and the performance. So too is the slow, 3/4 country saga of an illicit romance and its resulting “Guilty Conscience.” Again, the tune, the tale, and the performance are intriguing and enveloping. But then, you could say the same thing about much of this debut recording. (Grits & Soul, 64 Elkmont Dr., Asheville, NC 28804, www.gritsandsoul.com.)BW

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!