Hit the play button and you will immediately hear a sneaky Brown County Breakdown inspired intro to The Grascals first release since 2013. Right away you know that you are going to have to hang on tight. And what a ride it is. “and then there's this...” is worth the wait.
The choice of music and the order in which they are rattled off will keep you and your bluegrass soaked brain guessing. I Know Better, a straight-up hard driving bluegrass tune is followed by the mellow, fingerpicked guitar, gentle on my mind-esque, Road of Life, perfectly placed. And so it goes.
| Some of the tricky, syncopated intros such as the one on Delta Queen are enough to make parking lot pickers cringe. They are worth the price of admission alone. The CD is full of little gems like this. You get the tasty, crisp banjo work of Kristin Scott Benson, the mandolin chops of Danny Roberts and the soaring fiddle solos of Adam Haynes. Now add the solid bass of Terry Smith, the guitars of John Bryan and Terry Eldredge. With a foundation like this, the vocals of Bryan and Eldredge stand on lofty ground. Needless to say, the harmonies follow suit. |
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The Grascals have exposed their wide spectrum of appreciation and influence by including songs of prominent bluegrassers such as Bill Monroe ( Highway of Sorrow), Harley Allen ( True Hearts), Alan O'Bryant (Old Friend of Mine), Joe Diffie ( If You Want Me To), Larry Cordle ( Delta Queen), the Grascals own Danny Roberts ( Autumn Glen) and my favorite, Shawn Camp's A Place to Hang My Hat. If you have ever wondered what George Jones would sound like as a tenor, listen to Terry Eldredge wring this one out. No wonder he was one of Billy B. Boren's favorite singers. The vocal mojo doesn't stop there. Pay attention to the last few lines of Highway of Sorrow. John Bryan goes so far out on a limb you can hear it crack behind him. Good stuff. The stuff that real bluegrass music is made of.
With all the Grascals have accomplished over the last decade, the group would be perfectly justified in coasting on it's past successes. But now in their 11th year, The Grascals continue to set the bar high and clear it with room to spare.
This album is scheduled to be released in four weeks. Find The Grascals at Facebook.com/grascals/ twitter.com/thegrascals and at grascals.com
Reviewed for Prescription Bluegrass by Marty Warburton / PreWarBone@gmail.com
www.PrescriptionBluegrass.com
have there new CD and it is awesome . they never disappoint. always put out GREAT music and wonderful shows.
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