The Lost Pines – Sweet Honey

THE LOST PINES
SWEET HONEY
No Label
No Number

Lost Pines is a fairly new bluegrass band out of Austin, Tex., that features Talia Bryce on lead and harmony vocals and rhythm guitar, Christian Ward on lead vocals and banjo, Marc Lionetti on harmony vocals and lead guitar, Brian Bass, Shawn Dean, or Jon Kemppainen on fiddle, and Alex Rueb on mandolin. I will admit that the first thing I noticed on the album cover was “produced by Lloyd Maines.” The legendary producer and musician also plays resonator guitar on two cuts. All fourteen selections on this CD are originals, seven each by Ward and Bryce. This band has that rare combination of great singing, great musicianship, and great songwriting.

Ward opens with “Singing Voice.” Bryce leads with “Maybelee.” Their songs cover a wide range of styles and emotions. “Harvest Moon” has a Cajun rhythm. All the songs are well crafted, but if I have to pick favorites, I’d choose “Maybelee,” “No Home,” “Only A Flower,” and “Harm’s Lovin’ Way,” which features soulful clawhammer banjo by Jerry Hagins. Maines plays resonator guitar on two of these, but he takes no flashy breaks, rather his resonator guitar helps stitch the tunes together.

I would recommend this CD to anyone interested in new directions in bluegrass songwriting, which is the focus of the recording. But the arrangements and the execution showcase these new songs in the best possible light, and that is worth hearing, too. (www.lostpinesband.com) SAG