“Live at Silver Dollar City” by Monroe Crossing

Monroe Crossing
Live at Silver Dollar City
Self-released
4 stars (out of 5)

In the spring of 2007, Monroe Crossing recorded four days of all-request shows at Branson’s Silver Dollar City. This album collects the cream of the crop, interspersing them with MC and mandolinist Mark Thompson’s slick stage patter to recreate the feeling of the live show. The result is a fine example of bluegrass and classic country Monroe Crossing style – versatile and energetic with a definite Midwestern accent.

They start things off a bracing, folk revivalist “Fox on the Run,” driven by Benji Flaming’s coruscating banjo. Flaming does a convincing impression of Little Richard’s piano, while guitarist Art Blackburn and bassist Mark Anderson lay down a kicking roots rock groove (showing why Bill Monroe is a cross-genre Hall of Famer) on “Rocky Road Blues.”

“20-20 Vision” proves that Monroe Crossing is just as comfortable with traditional grass as they are with the more modern style of Becky Buller’s “The Rain.” The latter boasts simultaneously the best vocal harmonies and the best solo vocal (from fiddler/vocalist Lisa Fuglie) on the album.

Fuglie is just as good on Jim & Jesse’s “Just Wondering Why,” conveying emotional fragility without using the standard technical cheat of breathy vocals. She’s the band’s ace in the hole during many of the “Oh, no, not that one!” moments that come up when a band starts taking requests. “Jolene” shimmers with Fuglie’s raw emotion, terrific trio harmonies, and Flaming’s relentless banjo. On “Crazy,” Fuglie retains that lovely vulnerability without overplaying it, and gets some beautiful mandolin backup from Thompson.

“At Last” (Yes, that one) is a particular fan favorite. Fuglie spins some wicked licks, but the song’s cocktail jazz structure doesn’t suit this or any other bluegrass band.

Earl Taylor’s “The Children Are Cryin’” should suit almost any bluegrass band. But, in a bit that may work better live, Thompson explains the bluegrass-specific tension between upbeat melodies and painful lyrics. Then, the band sidesteps the challenge with a parody so broad it would have given the cast of “Hee Haw” a run for their money.

They redeem themselves with a rambunctious canter through Bill Monroe’s “Scotland.” The band’s theme song, “Nail That Catfish to a Tree,” is equally as exciting (with what I’m guessing is Anderson using his doghouse bass as a bodhran), and could be considered an Irish-accented counterpart to “Scotland’s” simulated bagpipes.

In closing, Thompson tells the crowd that Monroe Crossing plays over 130 shows a year. “Live at Silver Dollar City” is a highly entertaining demonstration of why they’re in such high demand.

by Maria Morgan Davis