That Kind of Lonesome

Englehardt Music Group

One thing is for sure — Eddie Sanders didn’t sit idly by during the pandemic last year.  He’s followed up 2020’s all gospel album with a new bluegrass release, That Kind of Lonesome. 

Sanders co-wrote all 12 tracks on the album, sharing credits with Glen Duncan, Adam Englehardt, Jon Weisberger and Shawn Camp. He also has a stacked lineup of guests on the project that includes Ronnie McCoury, Scott Vestal, Cody Kilby, Rob Ickes, Aubrey Haynie, Don McAfee and Duncan, among others.

While most of the album features Sanders’ smooth vocals and selections about growing up in the country—showcased on “Farm to Market Road” and “Old Town Square”—there are a couple of harder driving pieces.

Among the best songs are “Last Lonesome Pine,” “Like a Bad Outlaw,” “Heartbreak Highway” and “Till the River Starts to Rise,” which fit more traditional bluegrass. Other songs lean towards a more country sound, which might hint at Sanders’ hit remake of Randy Travis’ classic “Three Wooden Crosses” from 2020.

The vocals are clean as is the picking by some of the best musicians in the genre. Perhaps the biggest highlight might be the writing which plays authentic throughout, maybe no more so than on “Heartbreak Highway”—maybe the best all-around selection on the album—which references “six strings full of heartaches” and “a left down Lonesome Road.” 

That Kind of Lonesome is a strong follow up to last year’s success for the artist.