CD Review - Tammy Jones Robinette & The Drive

Ed. Note:   We have two reviews of Tammy's latest album to present.  First from Marty Warburton and then from Mark Raborn.

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The first cut of this CD would certainly be worthy of Country radio air-play, that is if Country radio played true Country music. We'll address that concept another time. Right now I want to bring you up to speed on Tammy Jones Robinette and how the Southern Gospel mainstay has rolled up her sleeves and decided to take a stab at Bluegrass Music for a change. Stabbed through the heart I'd say. Tammy tackles a variety of tempos and timings in this recording. The themes found in Southern Gospel naturally rise to the top. Having written one fourth of the songs found here, you will quickly find that Tammy has this music running through her blood. The evidence is found in her rich well metered alto voice. She's done this before.

CD Review - Rick Ednie -WHITE TURTLE DOVE

Homegrown to be sure. WHITE TURTLE DOVE is a compilation of all original music from Rick Ednie. 

Rick was born in Philadelphia, but was raised west of the city in the dairy and corn fields of eastern PA. He began playing music "by ear" on his mother's piano spending many hours playing and singing with records from artists such as The Everly Brothers, John Denver, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, Cat Stevens and others, including Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, and others .

After moving to the central coast of California in the mid 1990's, Rick's guitar playing shifted from Texas electric blues to acoustic and was bitten by the Bluegrass Bug after attending a pre-Strawberry Music Festival party.

CD Review - The Hamilton County Ramblers !

by: Mark Raborn       

The debut, self-titled CD by the Hamilton County Ramblers features eleven cuts with material as varied as Stephen Foster’s, Hard Times, James Taylor’s Copperline, and I Hear Ya Talkin’, penned by cowgirl, country song-writer, Cindy Walker. With that said there is still enough traditional, Bluegrass-type material to satisfy all but the most persistent and jaded Bluegrass purists.

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"From the first few listening moments, it is clear that this project benefits from first rate production counsel."

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Though the material draws from several genres, the overall feel of the project falls comfortably under the ‘bluegrass’ umbrella, especially if one is willing to concede the single Old-time cut, Old Chattanooga (distinguished from the others by banjoist Jim Pankey’s clawhammer-style playing and performed as a duet with fiddler, John Boulware), and the aforementioned a cappella, Stephen Foster piece, Hard Times and the very cool and swingy, I Hear Ya Talkin’. All cuts use traditional ‘bluegrass’ instruments—no drums, harmonicas, accordions, pianos, triangles or bugles here, though they squeeze in a tastefully appropriate blues guitar solo on I Hear Ya Talkin’