SHANNON & HEATHER SLAUGHTER & COUNTY CLARE, ONE MORE ROAD

SHANNON & HEATHER SLAUGHTER & COUNTY CLARE
ONE MORE ROAD

Elite Circuit Music
002

Shannon & Heather Slaughter & County Clare’s One More Road is an exciting new release featuring the songwriting of Shannon Slaughter and wife Heather’s wonderful and soulful vocals. Shannon is a songwriter/guitarist whose works have been recorded by the Lonesome River Band, Lou Reid & Carolina, IIIrd Tyme Out, and others. Heather’s vocals blend perfectly with Shannon, and their duets are the highlights of this project. County Clare is a group of seasoned veterans including John Boulware (fiddle), Ron Inscore (mandolin), and Casey Murray (banjo). The band is joined by Shannon on guitar and Heather on bass. Guests here include Rob Ickes (resonator guitar), Tina Steffey (clawhammer banjo), and Mike Johnson (pedal steel).

The project kicks off with a new version of Tim Hardin’s “If I Were A Carpenter” which features that husband/wife vocal blend that makes this couple stand out. Shannon’s “Lives Of The Innocent” has a Civil War theme, while “They Never Had A Chance” features Heather’s lead vocal and lyrics that will catch you up. Shannon also penned “The Ballad Of Johnse Hatfield,” “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” the hard times of “Daddy Killed The Calf,” the growing up of “Never Let It Slip,” and the title cut “One More Road.” Other songs include Rodney Crowell’s “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues” (again featuring Heather’s lead) and a Dale Felts/Shannon Slaughter composition “When Scruggs Made Me A Star.”

The band is very good and song arrangements are well-crafted and there’s a good flow from song to song—a welcome new release from this up-and-coming group. (Shannon Slaughter, 4938 Smith Tr., Pell City, AL 35028, www.countyclareband.com.)BF