CD Review–John McEuen - MADE IN BROOKLYN

Matt Cartsonis, an old friend of mine from the Phoenix area music scene, had been talking on Facebook for a while about this new project he was working on with John McEuen, long time multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winner with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Having known Matt for over 35 years, and knowing the vast experience he has in the music world, I was very intrigued.  Then all the media blitz began and the new CD, MADE IN BROOKLYN, was hitting the airwaves and all the roots/Americana sites.  The first single released, “Excitable Boy,” sung by Matt and written by Matt’s former employer, the late Warren Zevon, debuted at #6 on the Alt Root Top 10 chart.  This CD was taking off big time, and it was making even this ol’ man an “Excitable Boy”!!!

CD Review - NEWTOWN / HARLAN ROAD

Reviewed by:

W.J. Hallock

NewTown’s latest CD, HARLAN ROAD comes across as first class in every way, shape and form.

They nailed this recording, and they should be proud of their efforts! When you bring five hot pickers into the studio, add a Producer with the stature of Barry Bales and bring a boatload of songs from seven different top song writers to the mix, you have a right to expect good results.

They also took all their tools and work ethic to Crossroads Studios, in Arden, NC and turned Scott Barnett and Van Atkins loose to catch all the action on their recording equipment. Good decisions all around, and my ears love just about every minute of this CD.

Prescription Bluegrass – CD Review - Jake and Rebekah Workman DEEP INTO THE HEART

Artist : Jake and Rebekah Workman

Project: Deep Into the Heart

Release Date: January 2016

Label: Independent

Producer : Jake and Rebekah Workman / Aaron Ashton

Engineer: Jim VanCleve / Aaron Ashton

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I'm not sure where to start here. The first time I heard about the amazing Jake Workman was not by name, it was “that kid from Salt Lake ” Oh, you mean the banjo player? No, the guitar player. Oh, he plays guitar too? What, I thought he played mandolin. No, he plays all three.

What? I'll be damned, he does it all. And on a scale of 1-10, Jake is an 11.

Prescription Bluegrass – CD Review The Burie Family – Here Today Gone Tomorrow

March 31, 2016

Artist : The Burie Family

Project: Here Today Gone Tomorrow

Release Date : December 2015

Label: Independent

Producer : Tim Surrett

Engineer: Scott Barnett

Recorded at: Crossroads Studios

OK...here's the deal: What we have here are two sisters and two brothers, all well under the age of twenty years old. 

Experience warns me to turn my head a bit to the left , clinch one eye shut and

prepare to cringe a bit when I hit the play button. To be honest, how much can one usually expect from teenagers taking a swing at recording their first bluegrass album?