Product of Colorado

To say that the new album Product of Colorado by Slay and Stinson starts off with a bang would be a serious understatement. The opening track “Way Too Wide Awake” comes ripping out of the speakers like a house on fire. Listeners get a taste of the musical prowess of the band as Nick Einterz on banjo, Andy Reiner with the fiddle and Brett Kretzer on mandolin keep the song rocking, keeping up with the spirited vocals. Travis Stinson and Scott Slay, along with providing the name for the band share vocals and guitar playing.

The album title is accurate and anyone who knows the Colorado Bluegrass scene will know what to expect — the unexpected. The music scene in the Rocky Mountains is known for the combination of diverse influences and you can hear that clearly on this album. “Why Cry” has a powerful old time groove that is as much James Brown as it is Charlie Poole while “Mountain Wild” lays back in a country kind of way. “Cliffs of Palmyra” is propelled by an Irish rhythm and features some intricate instrumental interplay.

This is an exceptionally tight ensemble that rides on the bass playing of Chuck Rourke with ample room for creativity for the instrumentalists and vocalists There’s a funky freedom that fuels the album, a deep soulful groove from start to finish.