Articles

AUDIE BLAYLOCK AND REDLINE I’M GOING BACK TO OLD KENTUCKY (A BILL MONROE CELEBRATION) Rural Rhythm RUR 1081 Audie Blaylock and Redline, along with some high-octane guests, have put together as fine a tribute collection of Bill Monroe classics as you will find anywhere. In addition to Redline regulars Russ Carson (banjo), Reed Jones (bass),…

CEDAR HILL I’VE GOT A THING ABOUT DOORS Blue Circle Records BCR 026 I’ve Got A Thing About Doors proves that, in 2011, a band can still record a pretty traditional bluegrass album using all new songs. On this enjoyable album, Cedar Hill even manages the honor of debuting a recording of the last song…

DICK KIMMEL & CO. DREAMIN’ DKC Records 2011-1 Veteran artist Dick Kimmel is joined here by regular bandmates Jerilynn Kjellberg (vocals and guitar), Lee Folta (bass), Tim O’Connor (banjo and vocals), and Bruce Bernhart (mandolin), with guests Becky Buller on fiddle and Kimmel’s son, Ian, on guitar. The group has a traditional bluegrass sound while…

FAREWELL DRIFTERS ECHO BOOM Heart Squeeze Records HS2K111 The Farewell Drifters find themselves in the revived argument over the definition of bluegrass. The younger generation of performers whom are currently taking the music in a different direction are dealing with the same thing that my age group, the newgrass generation, dealt with forty years ago….

JOHN REISCHMAN & THE JAYBIRDS VINTAGE & UNIQUE Corvus Records CR018 Similarity, in a good way, is the word for recordings from John Reischman and the Jaybirds. Not the music on the records, just the quality and the musicianship. You can always count on Reischman’s exquisite mandolin work and its clear, fluid, and articulated lines…

JIM LAUDERDALE REASON AND RHYME: BLUEGRASS SONGS BY ROBERT HUNTER & JIM LAUDERDALE Sugar Hill SUG-CD-4070 Listening to a new Jim Lauderdale album is a little like catching up with a trusted old friend that you only get to visit once or twice a year. The encounter, without fail, leaves you feeling buoyant and renewed….