Articles

THE PIEDMONT MELODY MAKERS WONDERFUL WORLD OUTSIDE Vigortone Records VT-2007 The Piedmont Melody Makers (Alice Gerrard, Chris Brashear, Cliff Hale, and Jim Watson) have released a very pleasant 16-cut CD which gently winds through the rural styles prevalent in The South (and elsewhere) in the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century. The…

BLUEGRASS EXPRESS ANSWER TO MY PRAYER Plum River Records PRP0816 This is a really nice all-gospel project from Bluegrass Express. The band is a family affair founded by father Gary Underwood (guitar), son Greg Underwood (bass), and Greg’s son Jacob Underwood (banjo, guitar). Rounding out the band is Nate Burie (mandolin). Guests include Tim Crouch…

RHONDA VINCENT AND THE RAGE ALL THE RAGE: RHONDA VINCENT AND THE RAGE IN CONCERT, VOLUME ONE Upper Mgmt. Records UM010 For any young musician determined to carve out a meaningful and lasting career, it’s hard to imagine a better role model than Rhonda Vincent. With her remarkable artistry, discipline, commitment, generosity, and vast energy,…

THE SOMMERS ROSENTHAL FAMILY BAND DOWN THE ROAD American Melody AM-CD-5128 The Americana genre allows for a freedom not always present in bluegrass or old-time music. Where an “outside” instrument or arrangement or song in bluegrass may draw a jaundiced eye or two, in Americana no one blinks. That freedom is on full display on…

THE UNSEEN STRANGERS STRANGER PLACES    Adam Shier (guitar), James McEleney (bass), Matt Elwood (banjo), and Mike Mezzatesta (mandolin) are the Unseen Strangers out of Toronto, Canada. This quartet’s third release of progressive bluegrass still has traditional bluegrass at its backbone. The nine original tracks from the mind of Shier include the most popular single, “Buster,”…

CLAYBANK PLAYING HARD TO FORGET Rural Rhythm RUR-1137 Often, debut albums come out quietly, but that’s not the case with the new group ClayBank and their release, Playing Hard To Forget. The group launched their CD with a Showcase performance at the 2016 IBMA World Of Bluegrass in Raleigh, and saw the single “Up On…