THE KEVIN PRATER BAND

THE KEVIN PRATER BAND
ALL I EVER WANTED

Patuxent Music
CD-306

Prater and band are old-school. They play and sing and make music they can reproduce on stage or in a field or wherever they are. Five pieces—banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, and guitar—get the job done. While there is no real knockout vocalist, they all handle their jobs with skill and ease. Prater’s mandolin finds new ways to say what needs to be said. Adam Burrow’s fiddle slides around and jumps to the forefront making it felt as much as heard. Jake Burrows plays solid traditional banjo, giving power and great backup to the performances. Danny Stiltner is solid on the bass, while Tom Timberlake’s guitar is spot-on. All of the band members sing at one time or another.

While some bands look ahead for their music, Prater and company reach back for a compelling version of “Lord Daniel,” a variant of the old ballad “Matty Groves,” and Prater’s reading to this is absolutely great. Heck they even reach back for “House Of The Rising Sun.” Prater effectively uses a mandola to open “House Of Gold” on which they emulate the fine trio singing of the Seldom Scene in the Duffey years. It is one of the numbers where he pays homage to Duffey. His original song, “All I Ever Wanted,” is part of this tribute as well.

The whole project is full of good songs and fine picking. This band should be getting more attention with this release. They are not slick or modern or too fancy, but what they lack in sheen they make up for in soul. (www.pxrec.com)RCB