Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947
Skaggs Family Records
4 stars (out of 5)
Since his return to bluegrass music with 1997’s Bluegrass Rules!, Ricky Skaggs has been careful to credit the legacy of Bill Monroe as the prime reason for his musical rebirth. Skaggs’ devotion has included a full-length [...]
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Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
Tuned In
Self-released
3.5 stars (out of 5)
Many remember Joe Mullins for his world-class banjo and tenor vocal work with the Traditional Grass and with Longview.
Not everyone knows that for the last several years, Joe has been making his living with his growing Classic Country Radio enterprise in southwest Ohio, with AM [...]
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Dailey & Vincent
Dailey & Vincent
Rounder Records
4.5 stars (out of 5)
Dailey & Vincent signal exactly what they’re all about by kicking off their debut CD with “Sweet Carrie.” Joe Dean’s banjo accelerates into Jamie Dailey’s clear, high and powerful lead vocals, which in turn are joined by flawless harmony vocals from bassist Darrin Vincent and mandolinist [...]
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Larry Stephenson
Thankful
Pinecastle Records
4 stars (out of 5)
The opener asks “How High is that Mountain,” but the real question on Thankful might be, “How high can Larry Stephenson’s vocals go?” The 5-time SPBGMA award winner’s trademark tenor is in prime form on his fourth bluegrass gospel album and nineteenth release overall.
Thankful turns out twelve tracks of [...]
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Steve Gulley
Sounds Like Home
Lonesome Day Records
4 stars (out of 5)
Grrasstowne
The Road Headin’ Home
Pinecastle Records
3.5 stars (out of 5)
The general impermanence of band line-ups in bluegrass is often frustrating for fans, and no doubt to the musicians themselves. But the byproduct is often the welcome launch of a new band or solo artist.
Or in Steve Gulley’s [...]
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Ron Block
DoorWay
Rounder Records
2.5 stars (out of 5)
Ron Block is the sort of Christian artist who opens minds simply because his presentation is so atypical. But on DoorWay, his second solo outing, that freshness is only partially evident.
“The Kind of Love” gets the album off to a passionate — perhaps even challenging — start. “I want [...]
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Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
Salt of the Earth
Skaggs Family Records
4 stars (out of 5)
A gospel album by Ricky Skaggs & The Whites ought to be mighty good, and Salt of the Earth is just that.
Each of the the 13 tracks is a setting for Skaggs’ clean, crisp Kentucky tenor and The Whites’ lush family harmonies, [...]
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Dry Branch Fire Squad
Thirtieth Anniversary Special
Rounder Records
4 stars (out of 5)
If you’re a fan of Dry Branch Fire Squad, you’ve already decided which songs should have ended up on this thirty-year career retrospective.
But what if you’re new to the band? What can you expect from their music?
Despite multiple line-up changes, there are a few welcome [...]
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Kenny and Amanda Smith Band
Tell Someone
Rebel Records
4 stars (out of 5)
Former Lonesome River Band guitarist Kenny Smith began recording this project directly following the death of his father in a farming accident, and and knowing that makes this Gospel album, which is dedicated to his memory, poignant, relevant and touching. Even with, or [...]
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Rose Maddox with the Vern Williams Band
Beautiful Bouquet
Arhoolie Records
4 stars (out of 5)
Rose Maddox with the Vern Williams Band
This is Rose Maddox
Arhoolie Records
3.5 stars (out of 5)
As the eponymous girl singer of the Maddox Brothers and Rose from the 1930s through the 1950s, Maddox (1925-199 was one of the most popular and distinctive female [...]
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