CD Review - John Mailander - WALKING DISTANCE

For me, one of the more selfish reasons of going to a bluegrass festival, either as a paid performer or spectator, is the prospect of getting into a good after hours jam. Those prospects are akin to a company picnic raffle. Sometimes you get squat. Sometimes you win a crummy frisbee with the company logo on it. But, once in a while you get lucky and go home with a new TV or  barbeque grill.

On an August weekend in 2011 at Vista California's Summergrass Bluegrass Festival my selfishness paid off.  A small impromptu jam erupted under the dim lights of the snack bar canopy. It began as most jams begin. Old Blue Sound tech Alvin Blaine and I were noodling around on guitar and banjo. Sawmill Road was performing that weekend and lucky for us mandolinist Mark Miracle showed up to pick a few.

CD Review - Feller & Hill - HERE COME FELLER & HILL AGAIN!

“Here Come Feller & Hill Again,” is one of those CD’s that for me, slipped through the cracks. I’ve been too scattered, for too long, to get the review I wanted to write even started, much less finished! I just about had the first copy of the CD the boys sent me worn out when it disappeared somewhere between Oklahoma and Colorado……where it went I do not know, but, I swear I’m never movin’ again! I loved their first release, and in my review of it, I said that it should be in the running for the IBMA “Album of the Year” award, and I meant it. For an artist to have their first recording be so focused, personalized and recognizable is unheard of, but Tom and Chris pulled it off in spectacular fashion. With this new one, (to keep from getting confused, I refer to it as #2,) the boys have stepped up their game considerably and it is every bit as good, or better, than their debut CD was. With liner notes written by none other than Tom T. Hall, this is another first class project from Tom and Chris, and, as with their first release, it’s also on Tom T’s Blue Circle Records.

CD Review: Tim Stafford - JUST TO HEAR THE WHISTLE BLOW!

The first time I ever saw the name Tim Stafford in print was in the liner notes of a 1990 holiday CD that my good friend Butch Baldassari had produced and recorded.

The title was “Evergreen – Mandolin Music for Christmas.” Evergreen was made famous by none other than The Weather Channel. During the holiday seasons of those early 90's, Evergreen was the background music as graphics for your local weather scrolled across the screen.

It was a perfect fit. Soothing acoustic Christmas music on a winters day. Cold weather sold a lot of copies of that now classic recording, and the deft guitar work of Tim Stafford was exposed.

CD Review: Crowe, Lawson & Williams - STANDING TALL AND TOUGH

A few years back, in keeping with the rulebook governing the average male's mid-life crisis, I purchased a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28. Yes, it was as sweet as the picture that just popped into your head. One of my challenges, aside from avoiding speeding tickets, was finding someone that knew how to work on these no-frills, all gas and guts, non-computer assisted muscle cars.

I managed to find the perfect guy. He had worked as a factory trained mechanic at a Chevrolet dealership from the early 60's through the early 90's. He was as happy to be able to work on a “real” car as I was to put my trust in him. He knew how and why that car was built and knew how to extract every ounce of horsepower it had to give. No doubt, old school.

 

CD Review - Phil Leadbetter - THE NEXT MOVE

In 2005, The IBMA named Phil Leadbetter it’s Dobro Player of the Year, and his album, “Slide Effects” was the IBMA Instrumental Album Of The Year. 2005 was a very good year for Phil! Jump to the present, and the IBMA again voted Phil Dobro Player of the Year for 2014…. AND, from the sound of his newest release, “The Next Move,” Phil has another hit record on his hands!

I’ll bet if you could steal Phil’s cell phone, there wouldn’t be a major bluegrass or country star in Tennessee that you couldn’t call……. Just by going over the list of famous names who participated in the recording of this CD, you’ve got the cream of the crop all adding hot licks and memorable vocals to “The Next Move.” AND… the songwriters who threw their best tunes into this project is pretty astounding, too. I’ve been a Phil Leadbetter fan for a long time, and it’s pretty obvious that Phil has a lot of other fans that really do love the man. They all showed up for this party!

CD REVIEW - HOT RIZE - WHEN I'M FREE

Sometimes it takes getting out and going to a LIVE concert for me to remember just how powerful music can be…..  I had not heard the new HOT RIZE release, “When I’m Free” when I had the chance to see them here in Durango, CO. at Fort Lewis College on September 24th. As each new song was introduced on stage, the impact these new songs had on me was immediate! The level of songwriting, the depth of the lyrics and the freshness of the performance of these new tunes stood out like a neon sign in a one horse town!

In my review of their concert, I made the statement that “HOT RIZE is back”, and after listening to this CD for days on end now, they are indeed back, and they are better than ever.  The band, Nick Forster on electric bass, Pete Wernick on banjo, Bryan Sutton on acoustic lead guitar and Tim O’Brien on mandolin, guitar and fiddle, plays with a precise musicianship and focused intensity that has only grown stronger with time.

CD Review - Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper - ON DOWN THE LINE

I've been around a lot of fiddle players in my time. Hundreds of jams, bands and listenings. I've heard my share of fiddle players.

I've “had” to sit through numerous fiddle contests featuring a category for virtually every age group and then some. Junior, Junior Junior, Teen, Adult, Senior, Senior Senior and Open. It's a great way to burn up a 3 day festival.

Having been exposed to this phenomenon, sometimes awe inspiring, sometimes excruciating, I have never heard or seen a fiddle player work a violin so hard as Michael Cleveland.

Yes, this is a good thing. If you've seen a live performance you know exactly what I am referring to. The quality of tone, precision, drive and innovation he pulls out of that delicate little instrument, and oh those chops, puts Michael in a class of his own.

CD Review - Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper - ON DOWN THE LINE

Michael Cleveland is a nine time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Assn. (IBMA) Fiddle Player of the Year Award, and he’s up for it AGAIN in 2014! Listen to his newest CD, “ON DOWN THE LINE,” and you’ll know why in an instant!

A lot of fancy words get bandied around to describe his playing, all true, I must say, but…. in my humble opinion, what Michael has, in ample supply, is plain old simple FEEL! Feel can change with the tempo, the time signature, the genre of the song and a thousand other intangible aspects. For an instrumentalist to format his playing to enhance a good SONG, and all of a good song’s many elements, and to show that specific song off as beautifully as it needs and deserves to be, THAT is a musician being true to who he is. Cleveland puts his soul and passion into making the song the star. Let’s face it, the listener doesn’t always remember the person singing or playing the song, but…. they always remember the song, and the song is the final winner of every popularity contest. From what I’ve heard of Michael Cleveland, his FEEL is his strongest asset. There is simply no weakness in his playing, just turn him loose on anything, and he will make it shine, knowing exactly what to play, or, more importantly, what not to play. Michael can be the best friend a good song ever had.

CD Review - The Roys - THE VIEW

Lee and Elaine Roy are a brother-sister duo that largely features their considerable vocal and songwriting talents. Both have beautiful voices that enmesh nicely with each other. Elaine plays guitar and Lee plays mandolin and they are well-supported on this effort by Daniel Patrick on banjo and reso guitar, Clint White on fiddle and Erik Alvar on bass.

The View offers up eleven original cuts, including one instrumental, with the title cut sharing writing credit with longtime Country Music luminary, Bill Anderson. Their overall presentation on The View is well within the boundaries of what most would consider ‘Bluegrass,’ though they probably wouldn’t be characterized as “traditional” Bluegrass by most enthusiasts.

Elaine’s voice is ever-so-slightly salty, but gilded: smooth and clear with character and presence. She’s easy to listen to and well establishes her ability with fine lead-vocal work on the opening cut, No More Lonely, as well as on No More Tears (one of my favorites), Sometimes (a tribute to adults dealing with dementia-afflicted loved ones), Mended Wings and The View.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Larry Sparks LONESOME and THEN SOME - A CLASSIC 50th CELEBRATION

An old friend of mine had recommended that I get Larry Sparks’ “40” CD seven or eight years ago…… she had worked on the recording and engineering of “40” and her enthusiasm for it, I found out in time, was more that justified. She’s good about steering me towards the “good” stuff, and I think she knew it would teach me plenty, if I would just take the time and really listen.

I did listen, and I learned so much about the depth, strength, history and pure power of bluegrass music from that CD, a recording I still listen to regularly. When Larry’s newest, “Lonesome and Then Some….. A Classic 50^th Celebration” arrived, it jumped right to the top of the pile! It’s been here two days and I’m already writing this review. What does THAT tell you? At this rate it’ll be worn out by Labor Day!

CD REVIEW: DETOUR - GOING NOWHERE FAST

Just so the gentle reader knows, I am being real careful here. My intent is to insure that I not overstate my delight with Michigan based bluegrass band Detour's latest release “Going Nowhere Fast.”

If you trust me, save yourself the burden of further reading and simply order, buy or download this CD now. If you don't trust me me, how dare you? Read on.

I would like to loosely quote icon Steve Martin in which he laments that “ ...a lot of bluegrass bands today sound alike. You can't tell one from the other when listening to a song on the radio.” Well said Steve, and you know Mr. Martin is right. If not for the artist identification technology of Sirius XM and other radio stations or a D.J. chiming in at the end of a song, most bands would go unrecognized. This is where Detour has an absolute advantage over the scores of today's bluegrass bands scratching and clawing for recognition. Listen to Detour's lead vocalist Missy Armstrong sing one song, just one, and you will never, ever, be in the dark about who's voice that is or what band you are listening to again. It has always been a quirk of mine to hit the rewind button in order hear again just a few notes of a good guitar lick or a nasty little mandolin fill. I caught myself backing up this CD over and over just to hear Missy sing the opening line,“Early on one Saturday...” to kick off Jeff Rose' “Train, Train.” Missy Armstrong's voice is a pure velvety tone and perfectly matches the vibe of this band.

Prescription Bluegrass CD Review - GRITS & SOUL Flood Waters!

I find myself drawn to new music that expands the borders of traditional music, that edginess is what I search for. That first generation of bluegrass and country music innovators is what I was raised on; and, I can’t remember a time when my parents weren’t listening to the latest hits when I was a kid. But, pushing those boundaries and adding different nuances and personalities to the traditional mix excites me!

Sometimes the experimentation is a total failure, but, when it works, and some new inflection is added to that “old” mix, my ears tell my heart to listen up and pay attention. That’s the case with the release of FLOOD WATERS, by the duo/band “Grits & Soul.“

Anna Kline and John Looney have written eleven songs that take me right back to the music of my formative years. They have a real grip and feel for that old sound, and, they’ve got the talent and intestinal fortitude to do it their own way, today!