JOSH GRIGSBY AND COUNTY LINE

JOSH GRIGSBY AND COUNTY LINE
LOVE, LIFE AND MISERY

No Label
No Number

This Virginia band is one singing bunch. They have great vocals and good taste in material. Opening with Michael Martin Murphy’s “Carolina In The Pines,” they cover a bevy of great songs, such as “Trains I’ve Missed,” “The Old Cross Roads,” “Lonesome River,” “Erase The Miles,” and “Doin’ My Time,” to name a few. They also have an original song, “You Can Call Me Lonesome.” Through all of these numbers, the vocals are top-notch. Josh Grigsby sings lead while Crystal Grigsby, Mark Mills, Judge Parker, and bass player Robert Kidd sing harmonies. Mills also wrote another song on the project, “This Old Town.”

The majority of the instrumental load is carried by Judge Parker on banjo, Mark Mills on lead guitar, and Whitney Edwards on resonator guitar. The emphasis is clearly on the vocals, but the support rendered by these folks is essential to the success of the project. Thoughtful touches, such as the minor outro on “Lonesome River,” put a unique stamp on that song. The strong material sung with vitality and conviction, including a sense of humor on “Shoulda Asked Her Faster,” help the band pull-off an engaging mixture of songs. This is one of those recordings that is over before you realize it. Their renditions are entertaining, and the songs just go by in an enjoyable musical breeze. (www.joshgrigsbyandcountyline.com)RCB