New Recordings….
Jerry Ashford, Beth McNamara & Joe Ross, Moonglow, Zephyr Records, moonglowenterprizes@yahoo.com; Ashford, McNamara and Ross are joined by Tim Crouch and Todd Clinesmith for a set of swing-influenced acoustic music. Favorites include: “Miles of Texas,” “The Sheik of Araby,” “Wahoo,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “Honeysuckle Rose” and more.
The Batten Family, From the Heart, www.thebattenfamily.com; Members of this family-based bluegrass and gospel band hail from Lubbock, San Angelo and McKinney, Texas. A simple instrumental back-up featuring Darrel and Paul Batten on guitars, Tempie Batten on bass and Kevin Batten on mandolin provides the foundation for vocals by Teresa, Darrell and Bryan Batten, and also Lisa Hilton and Lori Gauntt. A generous collection of 23 cuts include “Cash on the Barrelhead,” “Falling Leaves,” “More and More,” “You Are My Sunshine,” “Ashes of Love,” “Sittin’ on Top of the World” and more.
Bawn in the Mash, Hurry Up and Wait, www.bawninthemash.com; The second album from this Paducah, Kentucky-based acoustic jam band is an all original set of music. Band members include Nathan Blake Lynn (guitar); Thomas B. Oliverio (mandolin); Josh Coffey (fiddle, viola, mandolin); Alex Faught (banjo) and Eddie Coffey (bass, resophonic guitar). Guests Brey McCoy, Donnie Herron, Tyler Grant and Grandpa Black contributing percussion, violin, clawhammer banjo, trumpet, guitar and harmonica.
Heather Berry & Tony, Before Bluegrass, Blue Circle Records, www.bluecirclerecords.com; For her second album on the Blue Circle label, Heather Berry is joined by her husband, Tony Mabe, for a dozen new songs that sound like old-time standards, written by Dixie & Tom T. Hall. The two-part vocal harmony is backed by guitar and autoharp or clawhammer banjo. “All of these songs were recorded completely live,” Heather says. “There are no punches, vocal tuning or effects; just honest, ‘homegrown’ music that means the world to us.”
Petr Brandejs Band, Fit as a Banjo, www.modrastruna.cz; The fifth CD from this award-winning Czech bluegrass trio features Petr Brandejs on banjo and guitar, Ondra Kozak on guitar and fiddle, and Vilma Orlitova on bass—with all three contributing vocals. The band showcases a versatile style on songs from Hazel Dickens, John Hartford, Flatt & Scruggs, Melissa Monroe, Doc Watson, Chuck Berry, Liz Meyer and Elena Fremerman, along with some originals and a traditional Irish song. Included: “Darling You and I are Through,” “Is the Blue Moon Still Shining,” “Southbound,” “Won’t You Come and Sing for Me” and more.
H.R. Cook, Neongrass, Fireball Records, www.weaverofwordsmusic.com; The debut recording from H.R. Cook, based in Tazewell, Va. According to Cook, who wrote or co-wrote 10 of the 14 songs featured on the CD, “The concept of the CD was to do a blend of songs that would appeal to the traditional and contemporary bluegrass fan as well as those who enjoy acoustic country. You’ll hear love story songs, love songs, tear jerkers and hard-driving bluegrass.” Included: “Sid,” “East Virginia Blues” (with new lyrics), “Weeds,” “Zero to Love,” “Déjà Vu” and more.
Mary Cox, Florida Banjo, www.maryzcox.com; On her sixth album, Mary’s chops on banjo and dulcimer are backed by Kerry Blech, Bob Cox, Jim Crozier, Lo Gordon and Ellen Sheppard on fiddle, guitar, bass, banjo and mandolin. Included: “Ponce De Leon,” “Spanish Fandango,” “Cluck Old Hen,” “Ragtime Annie,” “Yearlings in the Canebreak,” “Yellow Rose of Texas,” “Chinquipin,” “Waterbound” and more.
Crooked Still, Still Crooked, Signature Sounds, www.signaturesounds.com; Ken Tucker at USA Today describes the latest from Crooked Still as “maybe the most cohesive of the Boston dark-folk/bluegrass band’s three excellent albums—chilling and otherworldly, what fantasy writers like to call ‘eldritch.’” The band’s unique style is defined by Aoife O’Donovan’s signature vocals, backed by the instrumental combination of fiddle, banjo, cello and bass. Tim O’Brien contributes vocals on “Tell Her to Come Back Home.” Additional titles include “Undone in Sorrow,” “The Absentee,” “Low Down and Dirty,” “Oh, Agamemnon,” “Poor Ellen Smith” and more.
The Davidson Brothers, Davidson Brothers, Shock Records, www.davidsonbrothers.com; The second release from Australian brothers Hamish and Lachlan Davidson, combines elements of high energy contemporary bluegrass and acoustic country music. Bryan Sutton, Rob Ickes, Dennis Crouch and Cia Cherryholmes guest, among others. In addition to originals, material comes from Jerry Salley, Brandon Rickman, Jim Lauderdale, Trev Warner and more.
Tony DeMarco, New York Irish Fiddler; The Sligo Indians; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings; www.folkways.edu; Liner notes laud this album as the “long-awaited solo debut for one of America’s finest folk fiddlers. A Brooklyn native of mixed Irish and Italian descent, New Yorker Tony DeMarco is a master of the intricate ornamentation, swinging rhythm and adventurous melodic improvisation that mark the famed County Sligo fiddle style. Mentored by the late Sligo master fiddler, Paddy Reynolds, Tony has for decades been a pillar of the Irish session scene in New York City.
Casey Driscoll, Texas Style Fiddling, Patuxent Music, www.pxrec.com; Casey Driscoll started playing fiddle at age six, performing and studying with Jay Dean Ludiker in Washington state and honing his skills as a Texas style fiddler. Now in his late teens, on this CD he is joined by guitarist Jonathan Grisham, leader of the Jon Grisham Band and winner of the 2007 John Lennon Educational Bus Battle of the Bands. Included: “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “Tennessee Waltz,” “The Entertainer,” “Lake Pontchatrain” and more.
The Grascals, Keep on Walkin’, Rounder Records, www.rounder.com; The third release from IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Grascals, includes material from Aubrey Holt, Harley Allen, Charley Stefl and band member Jamie Johnson, along with live favorites like “Today I Started Loving You Again,” “Rolling in My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” “Choices,” “The Only Daddy That Will Walk the Line” and “Farther Along.” Vince Gill, Jimmy Mattingly, Hargus M. “Pig” Robbins, Andy Hall, Kent Wells and Steve Turner guest.
Jeri Katherine Howell, Branch to Branch, www.jerikatherinehowell.com; Fourteen year old vocalist and guitarist Jeri Katherine Howell, from Kentucky, has written or co-written 3 of 14 cuts on her debut release. Arranged simply with guitar and vocal, Jeri Katherine sings songs that walk the line between Americana, bluegrass and contemporary acoustic folk music.
The Infamous Stringdusters, The Infamous Stringdusters, Sugar Hill Records, www.sugarhillrecords.com; The second album from IBMA’s current Emerging Artist of the Year, is a self-titled project produced by Tim O’Brien that features mostly original material along with songs from Jon Weisberger, Mark Simos, John Pennell, Danny Barnes and Sarah Siskind. The line-up includes new guitarist, Andy Falco. The album is the audio result of two years of touring, woodshedding and jamming.
Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Why Don’t You Give Jesus a Try, Blue Circle Records, www.bluecirclerecords.com; The latest from North Carolina’s Lorraine Jordan and her band is an all-gospel album featuring songs written by Tom T. & Dixie Hall, Tony Rackley and Jordan herself, among others. Several old favorites are included like “Just a Little Talk with Jesus,” “Just Over in the Gloryland” and “Let the Church Roll On.”
Kate Lee with No Strings Attached, On Your Way, www.kateleemusic.com; Fifteen year old Kate Lee from New York state showcases her talents on vocals, fiddle and viola on her second album. She’s backed by Chuck Boda, Ben Ford and John Irvine on a set of mostly original music that combines acoustic Americana influences with contemporary bluegrass styles and instrumentation. Kate wrote or co-wrote all the songs except one from Jay Ungar and one from Sting.
Northern Lights, One Day, Fifty Fifty Music, www.fiftyfifty.com; The latest from this influential New England-based band continues the group’s tradition of stretching the boundaries of bluegrass and acoustic music. Folk legend Jonathan Edwards guests on the album with band members Ben Demerath, Bill Henry, John Daniel, Joe Walsh and Mike Barnett. In liner notes Edwards says, “This is a band that seems to effortlessly travel from long ago to tomorrow, from Marley to Monroe, all with the same approach to excellence and integrity that has endeared them to audiences all over the world for years.”
Dan Paisley and the Southern Grass, The Room Over Mine, Rounder Records, www.rounder.com; Raised on the strains of traditional bluegrass, Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass learned the ropes first-hand as the sons (and eventually bandmates) of musicians like Bob Paisley, Ted Lundy and Donnie Eldreth. Honed over decades of playing festivals, honky-tonks, Legion halls and everywhere in between, their sound reflects the bluegrass soul of their fathers, while imparting an intensity all their own.
Becky Schlegel, For All the World to See, Lilly Ray Records, www.beckyschlegel.com; Multi-award bluegrass-influenced singer/songwriter Becky Schlegel from Minneapolis makes her national debut with an album of original music. An indie artist since 1999 who has appeared frequently on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion and RFD-RV’s Midwest Country Theater, Schlegel’s new project will be distributed throughout North America for the first time via Select-O-Hits and IGO Records. Her voice has been compared by critics to Alison Krauss, Sara McLaughlin and Jewel.
Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Blue Side of the Blue Ridge, Rebel Records, www.rebelrecords.com; When cousins Junior Sisk and Tim Massey decided to re-form Ramblers Choice, they assembled a line-up that reflects both the traditional roots of the Blue Ridge Mountains’ bluegrass community and its contemporary sensibilities. The strengths of the original group are amplified by a decade of experience and engagement with the whole range of bluegrass music’s stylistic history. In addition to originals from Junior and Tim, songs are included from producer Ronnie Bowman, Benny & Vallie Cain, Tom T. & Dixie Hall, The Bailes Brothers, Ashby Frank and more.
Tony Trischka, Tony Trischka Territory, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, www.folkways.edu; “With fearless musical curiosity as the guiding force,” according to liner notes, “Tony Trischka’s Territory roams widely through the banjo’s creative terrain. Twelve solo tracks explore a panorama of tunings, banjo sounds and traditions. Nine selections partner Tony with follow banjoists Pete Seeger, Mike Seeger, Bill Evans, Bill Keith, Bruce Molsky and other guest artists to top the creative potential of America’s signature musical instrument.”
Mac Wiseman & Jesse McReynolds, Waiting for the Boys, Wise Records (Request catalog: PO Box 17028, Nashville, TN 37217); The latest from Bluegrass Hall of Famers Mac Wiseman on vocals and guitar with Jesse McReynolds on mandolin, is a collection of songs inspired by the stories of families waiting for sons to come home from war. Included: “My Mary Dear,” “One of the Boys in Blue,” “See the Silver Dew on the Bluegrass Tonight,” “I Wonder How the Old Folks are at Home,” “There’s a Star-Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere,” “She’s My Filipino Baby” and more. Little Roy Lewis and Tommy Jackson guest on banjo and fiddle respectively, on one cut each.
Mac Wiseman & Jesse McReynolds, Old Likker in a New Jug, Wise Records (Request catalog: PO Box 17028, Nashville, TN 37217); New recordings of old favorites Mac’s never had the chance to record before are included here, backed by the legendary Jesse McReynolds on mandolin and Mac himself on guitar. Included: “I Was Seeing Nellie Home,” “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,” “Send Me Your Address from Heaven,” “Be Nobody’s Darling But Mine,” “What is Home without Love,” “My Two Sweethearts,” “Lonesome Roving Gambler,” “Darling Little Joe,” “Ballad of the Haunted Woods,” “Bad Ole Philadelphia Lawyer” and more.