Prescription Bluegrass Reviews - BLUEGRASS EXPRESS - In Our Own Words

If you want to record a bluegrass CD and make sure it is special, unique and individualized, keep it in the family! That rule of thumb seems to work for the Underwood family band, BLUEGRASS EXPRESS, from Illinois.

Three generations of musical talent have put a familial ring to their new project, “In Our Own Words.” All twelve songs have been written by either the Underwood Patriarch, Gary, his son Greg or grandson Jacob.

The CD kicks off with one of Jacob’s compositions, “The Road Ends.” Jacob drives the song with a first class banjo intro and solo, and takes it out with a solid performance.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews - Johnny Campbell & The Bluegrass Drifters !

Before the days of home computers, digital terminology and ProTools, and before genre-bending Bluegrass influences like Doyle Lawson, Tony Rice and Alison Krauss, Bluegrass music was a simpler, more ‘earthy’ concoction.

With this recording effort, Johnny Campbell re-creates a pre-digital recording session where musicians gather around a single microphone in the studio and play until something is ‘good enough.’

This approach obviously has pros and cons. Gone is the prevailing ‘slickness’ of modern recordings. Also, there is no separation of instruments and voices, so the balance and mix is marginal.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews CIRCA BLUE - A Darker Blue!

After listening to “A Darker Blue” several times over several days and after reading the twelve panels of liner notes and lyrics in the CD case, I feel I've gotten to know Circa Blue fairly well. With the release of “A Darker Blue” this Virginia based group throws their hat in the crowded ring of bluegrass bands looking to be heard above the din. Not an easy task, but this is a band that knows how to dig in, this is a band that knows how to make instruments hit on all eight. This band knows how to drive.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews - MIPSO - Dark Holler Pop

If you have never heard of the North Carolina band Mipso, you are most likely not alone. The group formed in 2010 when Jacob Sharp (mandolin), Wood Robinson (double bass), and Joseph Terrell (guitar), came together to create a sound that crosses various music styles.

According to Mipso’s website, the renegade traditionalists are doing their part to take three-part harmony and Appalachian influences to the next level. If you prefer traditional bluegrass groups, Mipso may not be the group for you. However, if you are looking for a different sound or something that, while not a highly complex band by some standards, but rather a fun jam band, Mipso is a group to explore.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews Walt Crider and the Old Time Way - The Ballad of Johnny Anderson

All across America , and the world for that matter, there are bluegrass bands cut from the same cloth as Walt Crider and the Old Time Way.

These bands, these people, are the life blood that perpetuates this music from one generation to the next. Unless you are from the Pennsylvania area chances are that you have never heard of this band until now.

But those same odds say that you have more than likely heard this band's counterparts on the small stages, local festivals, and VFW halls of your own neck of the woods.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews STEEP RAVINE - "Trampin' On"

The San Francisco based acoustic quartet Steep Ravine recently released their debut CD project, Trampin’ On, which features eleven original cuts, including two instrumentals.

There’s not much in the way of traditional or non-traditional Bluegrass music here: not a single banjo note on the entire project and only on rare occasion does the tempo exceed slow to medium.

However, their level of instrumental mastery, combined with fine vocals and spot-on arrangements will appeal to all but the saltiest Bluegrass purists.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Charlsey Etheridge MEMORIES of MINE!

Having been a CD reviewer for Prescription Bluegrass in the past, as well as having written for various other publications including my own, it came as no large surprise when I received a package in the mail from a music publishing company containing a few CD’s that were hoping for my attention.

When you are a published reviewer, all sorts of offerings come your way shouting for attention, and they can run the gamut from pretty darn good to just plain miserable. So it was with mixed emotion that I opened one of the CDs and approached the stereo.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Rhonda Vincent - Only Me!

With the release of Only Me, Rhonda Vincent has done something unique for listeners at a time when many believe the line between Bluegrass and Country is blurring.

Not only has Rhonda produced a multi-genre release, she has attempted to separate the genres by marketing a Bluegrass CD and a Country CD under a single title.

While it seems that Rhonda wanted to give listeners two clearly independent CD’s, the project leans more towards, what I consider, a Traditional Country project with a few Bluegrass songs mixed in.

Like some, I was surprised when it was announced that the Queen of Bluegrass was going to be producing a Bluegrass and Country project and somewhat confused as to why the 2014 SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America) Entertainer of the Year would make such a stylistic statement. Was she going to try her hand at Country music once again? Was she looking to broaden her fan base and offer a wider array of music to those attending her concerts? On the other hand, was Rhonda simply looking to fill a niche that seems to be missing for some listeners?

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Irene Kelley - PENNSYLVANIA COAL

“Pennsylvania Coal” is a refreshing gathering of music and musicians alike.

It has been 10 years since veteran Nashville songwriter and small town Pennsylvania native Irene Kelley released a collection of original songs. As a tribute to her coal mining grandfather, there are 12 new original songs on “Pennsylvania Coal”, all of which were either written or co-written by Kelley.

Repeated listenings of “Pennsylvania Coal” pay off with discoveries of tasteful lead instrumental work and layered harmonies. Read the liner notes and you will see why*. Irene Kelley has assembled a dream-team of A- list bluegrass musicians for this project. This in a way is a double edged sword , meaning it makes for a prolific studio recording, but at the same time assures that chances are you will never hear this ensemble in a live setting. Dang.

Prescription Bluegrass Review - Unspoken Tradition - SIMPLE LITTLE TOWN!

I received a CD recently and the title, Simple Little Town, caught my attention. 

Growing up in a small town myself, one where everyone knows each other and multiple generations still sit together in church, I was curious to get this new group’s take on small town life.  After the first track, Unspoken Tradition had my attention. 

Halfway through the project, and I knew the group could write timely lyrics and were solid musicians.  By the end of the CD, I knew this group was serious about Bluegrass and had a sound all their own.

Unspoken Tradition began taking form when founding members Audie McGinnis (guitar/vocals), Lee Shuford (dobro/vocals), and Zane McGinnis (banjo) came together at a picking party in Cherryville, North Carolina.  In 2012, the current line-up took shape with the additions of Matt Warren (upright bass/vocals), Ty Gilpin (mandolin/vocals), and Tim Gardner (fiddle/vocals).  

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Holly Norman "Appalachian Angel"

Personally, I enjoy a vocalist with a crystal clear voice and precise intonation, with a tonal character that makes it easy to understand every word.

Holly Norman’s seemingly effortless vocals showcase these characteristics on her brand new release, Appalachian Angel.

As an artistic offering, it is my view that Appalachian Angel, though supported almost entirely by traditional Bluegrass instrumentation, would not likely meet most purists’ criteria for ‘true’ Bluegrass, though it’s earthy, country-Americana flavor would hardly compel them to marginalize its merits. And, though it doesn’t quite have the ‘feel’ of traditional Bluegrass, it does have the heart.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews Brooke Foster - Bringing Back The Memories!

From the first note of Bringing Back The Memories, there is no doubt that Brooke Foster has put her heart and soul into this CD. This is Brooke’s first CD and she has done a very good job of selecting songs that not only compliment her voice but also give listeners a variety from traditional bluegrass to gospel to familiar country remakes.

While many of us may not know the name Brooke Foster, she is no stranger to the bluegrass world. She has spent the last two seasons entertaining at Renfro Valley and during that time has opened for Melvin Goins & Windy City, performed with American Drive as well as Wendy Miller.