Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road

You’re gonna love this CD! It’s as simple as that….. This twelve song release on Pinecastle Records is a solid musical endeavor bound to win Lorraine and the boys new fans. With power house vocalists and exceptional instrumentalists, they have all their bluegrass bases covered. Six original songs make a very strong statement as to how prolific this band can be, and the six cover songs are all well chosen and thought out as to how well they fit the band’s direction.

Lorraine wrote two of her songs with Terry Foust, “Livin’ Like I’m Dying,” which she also sings lead on, and “Hold Me One More Time.” She definitely needs to write more often with Mr. Foust! Both songs are cohesive lyrically and melodically, and, more important, they’re memorable and catchy. Her own “Bluegrass Barn,” sung by Tommy Long, is one her long time bluegrass fans are going to enjoy.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews O WINDING RIVER from The Stetson Family

You can imagine my curiosity when I received a package from Melbourne, Australia with a note requesting consideration for review.

I truly had no idea what Australia’s version of Bluegrass would sound like or if it would even resemble my idea of Bluegrass.

I admit, I am open-minded about all genres of music and, in the case of Bluegrass, will not dismiss something just because it does not fit a preconceived mold. Although, in the case of this project, it is Bluegrass with a lean towards, what I would consider, a string band or folk sound.

O Winding River, the latest release by The Stetson Family, who are not blood relatives at all but rather five friends who, through circumstances that could in itself be the backdrop of a song, came together to share a common love of Bluegrass and American roots music.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews Blue Mafia–MY COLD HEART !

With the release of My Cold Heart, the freshman venture from Indiana based Blue Mafia; the group has hit the ground running with no intentions of slowing down. Blue Mafia, formed in 2011 by the husband and wife team of Tony and Dara Wray, has quickly been making their presence known.

Tony, a well-known musician, and Dara, who wrote eight of the projects thirteen songs, have found the right combination that delivers a mixture of original material, classic renderings, and a hot instrumental.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews Jacob Underwood’s Grass Clippings

Jacob Underwood is a talented and creative young man who has just released his inaugural CD, Grass Clippings.

This all-instrumental effort consists of five original pieces and five well-worn gems probably familiar to most folks in the Bluegrass community.

In addition to composing half of the recording titles, Jacob also plays all of the instruments, including banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews - Snyder Family Band BUILDING BRIDGES

Laine and Bud Snyder are probably the proudest parents in Bluegrass and acoustic music today. Their two oldest children, Samantha, 14, and Zeb, 18, are two musical prodigies currently setting the festivals, concert halls and airwaves on fire with their talents. Their youngest son, Owen, at seven years old, already has an established repertoire of audience favorites, too.

Samantha and Zeb are serious instrumentalists, vocalists and song writers, and Owen is “Mr. Personality” in the band. Their live shows are crowd pleasing excursions into rousing instrumentals, three part gospel harmony, with Mom, Laine, adding her vocals to their faith based inspirational songs, and Dad, Bud, holding it all together with his upright bass playing.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews RED from Italy’s Red Wine

RED is the new CD Album from Italian Bluegrass Band, Red Wine.

This group of talented and dedicated players have been together for thirty-six years, through many personnel changes, though their Musical philosophy has always remained firmly rooted in hardcore Traditional Bluegrass.

If you were to hear the opening notes of almost any song or tune on this album, you might very well believe you were listening to any of the ace American Bands like Kentucky Thunder or the Del McCoury Band, and it’s only when it comes to the vocals that you might twig the fact that these guys are not from TN or NC.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews - Don Rigsby - ‘Doctor’s Orders’

Imagine, you are doing a tribute CD to one of your favorite artists. Now, imagine giving that artist a list of 50 songs and HE picks the songs for the album.

That is exactly how Don Rigsby allowed the songs on his current project Doctor’s Orders, A Tribute to Ralph Stanley to be chosen. This project includes 14 songs, 13 of which are Stanley classics with the title track written by Larry Cordle.

I must admit that when I first heard Don Rigsby was doing a tribute project for Ralph Stanley, I was not exactly ready to run out and purchase the CD.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Claire Lynch - DEAR SISTER

The instant you hear Claire Lynch’s voice, you know it’s her. She has that most elusive of attributes…… RECOGNIZABILITY.

In my humble opinion, recognizability is the most important asset an artist needs. Think about it….. you know it’s Bill Monroe or Lester Flatt the instant you hear their voices, you know it’s Willie Nelson, sometimes even before you hear him sing, because his guitar, nicknamed “Trigger,“ is as identifiable as Willie’s voice is. That guitar’s SOUND informs your brain immediately! Be it love, or be it hate, an artist’s recognizability is the key to his/her success, or failure.

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews THE ROYS–Gyspy Runaway Train

At a time when it seems that many groups are straying from the traditional bluegrass sound, “Gypsy Runaway Train”, is pulling into the station right on time.

This collection of six original songs and seven familiar favorites is the third CD released by the brother and sister duo, The Roys, and is nothing but straightforward bluegrass. There are no frills on this project, just solid bluegrass music.

I have enjoyed listening to The Roys since they first entered the bluegrass realm with their freshman release “New Day Dawning”. I was attracted to the ability of Elaine and Lee to compose songs that were both honest and since. Whether the songs centered on a family member, a moment in time, or their faith, it seems as if the lyrics spoke directly to me.

 

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Newton and Thomas - REBORN

I’ve been on a roll lately….. every CD I’ve picked up to review has been exceptionally good. At this rate I’m going to forget how to be nosy, constructively critical and nit-picky! Sometimes, when I’m listening to a new CD, I dig a little too deep into the who, what, where, when and why, and then I have to keep diggin’ even deeper to satisfy my curiosity.

I can’t seem to stop listening “just one more time!” The only problem with that is time just seems to slip away from me, and I can’t keep myself on schedule.

So, for this review, I grabbed a new CD “blindly” off the pile, thinking that may just be the way to break this hot streak of great new music. Well, that didn’t work! The new CD from Mark Newton and Steve Thomas, “REBORN,” jumped out of the speakers with a bang, and there I was again…. listening “just one more time!”

Prescription Bluegrass Reviews: Head For The Hills–Blue Ruin

Blue Ruin consists of 12 selections composed and performed by the Colorado based group, Head for the Hills, including 10 vocal cuts and 2 instrumentals.

The opening cut, Take Me Back, is reminiscent of an early Country Gazette-style offering, particularly with respect to the rhythm style and vocal arrangement.

Though there’s no banjo on this cut, it would otherwise suggest that a regimen of modern Bluegrass fare might be forthcoming. However, with the opening of the next cut, Never Does, you know you’ve stumbled onto something exotic indeed.

Never Does’ feel is more like modern Indie/Grunge merged with Bohemian Gypsy music, complete with train-whistle style background harmonies.

Prescription Bluegrass CD REVIEW – Vincent Cross - A TOWN CALLED NORMAL

These days the term “Bluegrass” encompasses a broad range of musical expressions. From the down home, gutsy realism of first-generation entertainers like Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs to the more refined sounds of Alison Krauss to the outer fringes of what is technically and musically possible and still retain some semblance of the core sound. It is indeed a broad genre that continues to give birth to new broods.

All that said, “A Town Called Normal,” in my opinion, does not fit into any honest, objective interpretation of Bluegrass music. Does it have a banjo on most cuts? Yes. Is there a mandolin? Sometimes. However, those characteristics alone do not a bluegrass band make.