Heartache and Trouble
ENGELHARDT MUSIC
PRC 1251
This is Fast Track’s third studio outing since they formed up after the retirement of the Cardinal Tradition leader David Parmley. These former Cardinal members were Dale Perry (banjo, vocals), Ron Spears (bass, vocals), and Steve Day (fiddle, vocals), and they invited Duane Sparks (guitar, vocals), and Shayne Bartley (mandolin, vocals) to join in, and together they have become quite a musical force. All are veteran players in the music and have participated in many projects during their careers. On this new project, the band has chosen a collection of songs from the likes of Bill Monroe, Lowell Varney, Merle Haggard, Carter Stanley, and also includes three originals from bassist Ron Spears. The session kicks off with the title cut “Heartache And Trouble” by Gerald Evans, Jr. Another Evans song is “Plain Old Country Boy.” There is Bill Monroe’s “Mary Jane Won’t You Be Mine,” Lowell Varney’s “Hurts All Gone,” Carter Stanley’s “Sweetest Love,” and Merle Haggard-Bonnie Owens,’ “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.” The three tunes by Ron Spears are “Jenny Lynn,” “The Sweetest Place On Earth,” and “You No Longer Believe In Me.” This experienced group really shines on this project with swapping vocals, nice harmonies and some excellent arrangements and picking, really putting themselves on the “fast track.”
