“3D” by Casey Driessen

Casey Driessen
3D
Sugar Hill Records
4.5 stars (out of 5)

Upon entering Casey Driessen’s 3D into iTunes, the word Unclassifiable appears in the application’s Genre column. Coincidence or not, this debut solo project from one of today’s most promising young fiddlers is certainly beyond category. After what sounds like a storm siren—perhaps a beacon to listeners that this is not your typical Sugar Hill bluegrass fiddle release—the album opens into a hypnotic arrangement of “Sally in the Garden” that embeds the tune’s classic, haunting melody in a fresh groove of percussion, bass, and electronica. This CD (pun intended) is something completely different.

The album’s core trio consists of Driessen, decorated bassist Viktor Krauss, and the great jazz/world music percussionist Jamey Haddad. Several tracks also feature a guest slot filled by one of the following musical luminaries: Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Darrell Scott, or Tim O’Brien. Engaged in a healthy mix of original compositions and creative arrangements, the shifting personnel produces an enormous variety of musical and textural contrast, which appears to be one of Driessen’s primary objectives.

The twelve tracks offer a wide range of musical explorations. “Footsteps So Near” (the Hot Rize classic) and the Grammy-nominated “Jerusalem Ridge” are wild multi-track escapades featuring layers of only Driessen (particularly his amazing “chop” technique).

However, the collaborative pieces are the real jewels here. Haddad’s hand drums add multi-ethnic colorings to the Irish-tinged “Gaptooth” and odd-metered meditation “The Confusion Before Dreams.” The deep, earthy pocket of “Cliff Dweller’s Slide” showcases Krauss’ prowess, while Fleck (“Gaptooth”) and Douglas (playing an overdriven lap steel on “Lady Bowmore”) match the material with especially inventive playing. Scott lends his organic guitar style and harmony vocals to the lowdown, dirty grooves of “Country Blues” and “Sugarfoot Rag/Freedom Jazz Dance,” the latter an interesting marriage using the Eddie Harris jazz tune (via Miles Davis’s arrangement, which probably should have been acknowledged) as a closing vamp.

While Driessen sings on just three selections, his grainy vocals—often filtered through various effects—contain a rawness that fits well with the album’s character. Additionally, he reveals impressive composing and arranging skills, most notably on such tunes as “The Confusion Before Dreams,” “Cliff Dweller’s Slide,” and the beautiful waltz “2 A.M.” Of course, the fiddling is the artistic glue that effectively holds this project together. It is Driessen in his element with an impeccable support system of musicians, and the results wonderfully stretch current notions of category, style, and creative possibility.

by Kevin Kehrberg

“The Band of Heathens” by The Band of Heathens

The Band of Heathens
The Band of Heathens
BOH Records
3 stars (out of 5)

The Band of Heathens was born at the legendary Momo’s in Austin, where its singers and songwriters Colin Brooks, Ed Jurdi, and Gordy Quist transformed their regular co-billings into on-stage collaborations. The Heathens quickly became heroes in the local club scene and started racking up Austin Music Awards.

The quintet (completed by bassist Seth Whitney and drummer John Chipman) continues its badboy persona and barroom vibe on its self-titled studio debut. Eleven originals harken a cross between 70s southern rock and Little Feat that’s unfortunately tarnished by white boy blues that sounds like, well, white boy blues.

Make no mistake: these guys and producer Ray Wylie Hubbard are much too talented to turn out the southern sound mainstream country won’t let us forget. However, when the smoke clears, the dust settles, and the buzz wears off, we’re left mostly with refrains like “I’ve got my heart strapped to my sleeve/I’ve got my sleeve tucked in my jeans/I’ve got my jeans tucked in my boots/I’ve got my boots walking back to you.” Not bad, but not quite.

The exceptional standout “40 Days” (with Patty Griffin) and the on-the-mark groove of “This I Know” and “Nine Steps Down” demonstrate what can be accomplished with a little less testosterone. Indeed, the Band of Heathens is capable of being so much better than the best bar band one’s ever heard.

by Tim Walsh

“Now” by Boudler Acoustic Society

Boulder Acoustic Society
Now
Self-released
1 star (out of 5)

In many ways, the Boulder Acoustic Society offers up typical new acoustic music. There’s the bouncy, clean-cut jive, the Chet Baker vocal stylings, the “It’s a Small World” approach to material, where Latin blends into gospel blends into jazz, and the resulting juggernaut deracinates everything in its path.

But the Boulder Acoustic Society adds something to the mix: a performance level that starts promisingly, but degenerates into amateurishness and, finally, incompetence.

Guitarist Brad Jones is the standout musician, with nice moments on “Gospel Plow” and “Lullaby of Birdland,” but nothing to write home about. “Birdland” gets an evocatively smoky intro from upright bassist Aaron Keim, whose writing shows promise with “Daddy’s Got the Jake-Leg.”

“Jake-Leg” gets some textural interest from Keim’s five-string work, but his lead vocal is uninspired. Only in the outro does he find the grit that might have made this a decent cut.

Poor technique mars the CD throughout. Jones, on ukulele, has problems with tone and technique in “Tico Tico.” “Birdland” and “Now Is the Hour” suffer pitch problems in the lead vocals.

The worst offenders are fiddler Kailin Yong and accordionist Scott McCormick. Their lifeless imitations of Stephane Grappelli and Astor Piazzola might have made Now merely tedious, but neither one seems to have heard of rhythm chunks. Their mid-range cat fights make some cuts (especially “Lullaby of Birdland”) cacophonous to the point of torture.

The closing track, “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It,” delivers the coup de grace: four minutes and 14 seconds of barroom sound effects and the kind of sloppy-drunk sing-along that drives music lovers to flee long before last call.

by Maria Morgan Davis

“Tuned In” by Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers

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 stations in Xenia (1500), Wilmington (1090) and Eaton (1130), and online at www.myclassiccountry.com. He also promotes the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival (somusicfest.com), a twice-yearly indoor festival that gets more popular every year.

A never-ceasing demand for his banjo playing and a need to make the occaisional promotional appeaance led him to create the Radio Ramblers, and bluegrass fans are the better for it.

Joe’s banjo rings out string and clear on Allen Shelton’s “Bending the Strings.” That track, along with “East Tennessee Blues,” also showaces the fine instrumental work of Dry Branch Fire Squad alumni Adam McIntosh (guitar), Mike Terry (mandolin), Evan McGregor (fiddle) and Tim Kidd (bass).

“Each Minute Seems a Million Years,” “My Blue Eyed Darlin’,” “Baby Girl” and “When I’ve Traveled My Last Mile” all get the old-school bluegrass treatment, the latter with some particularly sweet singing. “Deeper Than the Stain” closes out the 10-song disc with some gorgeous a cappella.

Excepting veterans Mullins and McIntosh, some of the singing and playing here and there is just a bit tentative, but Tuned In is a fine listen and a clear signal that there’s even better music to come.

by Aaron Keith Harris

“Asking for Flowers” by Kathleen Edwards

Kathleen Edwards
Asking for Flowers
Zoe/Rounder Records
5 stars (out of 5)

Credit Canadian Kathleen Edwards for taking the time after 2005’s Back to Me to not just restock her inventory of songs, but to come up with a magnum opus on her third full-length release stateside. With eleven new masterpieces, affective all-out vocals, brilliant backing, and Jim Scott’s perfect production, one simply can’t ask for anything more from Asking for Flowers.

The ominous opening notes from Jim Bryson’s piano lead our moody heroine into “Buffalo” with heart on sleeve awash in swirling strings paced by Gary Craig’s pounding percussion. Yet the anticipated eruption that eventually occurs on “Oh Canada” is preempted by a pair of hilarious outbursts. “The Cheapest Key,” in which Edwards emphatically qualifies each musical key, sets up the resigned title track, and the twanger “I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory,” with classic lines “You’re cool and cred like Fogerty/I’m Elvis Presley in the 70s,” provides the requisite relief after the gut-wrenching “Alicia Ross.” Those four tracks should vie for Song of the Year.

They also demonstrate the stylistic breadth that often transforms the singer/songwriter’s output into catchy pop and rockers like “Oil Man’s War” and “Run.” Edwards is flanked by studio stalwarts Bryson, bassist Bob Glaub, drummer Don Heffington, multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz, keyboardist Benmont Tench, and guitarist/husband Colin Cripps. Producer Scott pulls all the right strings - from Kevin Fox’s string arrangements combined with scorching guitars to Edward’s solo acoustic on “Sure as Shit.”

“Goodnight, California,” the dreamy six and a half minute lament that closes the disc assures us that Faler’s “Mercury” is still “parked out under the light,” but now Edwards is ready at the wheel with complete confidence, honesty, and openness. She won’t turn the ignition because she’s perhaps had a shot or two. However, she’ll take you on a ride you’ll never forget!

by Tim Walsh

“Last Good Kiss” by Last Train Home

Last Train Home
Last Good Kiss
Red Beet Records
4 stars (out of 5)

If you’ve overdosed on teen celebs (well-behaved and otherwise), D.C. band Last Train Home has the cure: music by and for grown-ups. Their latest release is packed with intelligent, emotionally truthful lyrics, tuneful vocals, and a scintillating mix of influences from 80s power pop and cowboy music, to border radio and Brazilian jazz.

Accordion and muted trumpet spin a slow conjunto rhythm under a lyric that uses small-town carnival attractions as metaphors for the vagaries of love in the outstanding “Kissing Booth.” The cool, jazzy Brazilian feel of “The Color Blue” contrasts sharply, and feels out of place on this record. Even so, the band captures the sound perfectly with unison trumpet and vocals, reminiscent of Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.

The cowboy melody of “Anywhere but Here” evokes the dusty, deserted bus station that lead vocalist (and chief songwriter) Eric Brace is no doubt headed for when he says, “I’ll tell you what/I’ll use my feet to say goodbye.”

Last Train Home’s alt-country pedigree (Keyboardist Jen Gunderman did time with the Jayhawks and Caitlin Cary) is well utilized throughout. The title track, with its propulsive, Marshall Crenshaw-meets-the Jayhawks vibe is a delight. “May” intriguingly fuses border radio with jazz. The keening vocal harmonies of “Flood” are so tight that they fairly buzz. Both “Flood” and “Can’t Come Undone” shine with Jen Gunderman’s instantly recognizable keyboard style.

Brace’s lyrics are so deliciously complex that it’s hard to choose which ones to cite. On “Marking Time”, he sings, “Let’s walk/Through the graveyard/Look for the headstones/That have our names,” conjuring a relationship that’s doomed to die.

“Go Now” is too honest to be played at graduation ceremonies, but that’s exactly where it should be heard. “At the break of the day/It’s good luck and Godspeed/I got some advice/But it’s less than you’ll need,” Brace sings. He could have been cloying. Instead, he says, “I see your hands on your old guitar/you’ll grow a thick skin/and you’ll break a few hearts/singing to drunks at the end of the bar.”

Last Good Kiss does have its problems, though. For all its diverse influences, it relies too heavily on the same arid single vocal/acoustic guitar texture. The band has a talent for vocal harmonies, and a veritable orchestra of instruments to choose from. The album suffers because they don’t make the best use these resources. But there’s more than enough here to whet the appetites of old and new fans alike for their next release.

by Maria Morgan Davis

“A Bluegrass Tribute to the Stars of Country” by Various Artists

Various Artists
A Bluegrass Tribute to the Stars of Country
Pinecastle Records
2.5 Stars (out of 5)

Well, I guess A Bluegrass Tribute to the Stars of Country certainly sounds better than A Record Label’s Attempt to Boost its Back Catalogue. Pinecastle Records has combed its vaults and come up with fourteen convenient covers for the concept. There are no newly recorded or previously unreleased tracks on this collection.

Nor is the concept particularly novel, as traditional bluegrass and classic country clearly are musical siblings. That’s good news actually, because tributes that stretch often turn out to be travesties. Sensible parings of great songs with talented artists should yield quality cuts, and they have here.

The track list reflects the impressive rosters Pinecastle has retained: from Hall of Famers Jim and Jesse (”Foolin’ Around”) and the Osborne Brothers (”Waltz Across Texas”) to renown veterans Eddie Adcock (”San Antonio Rose”), Jack Cooke (”I’m Walking the Dog”), and the Reno Brothers (”Mama Tried”) to up-and-comers Nothin’ Fancy (”Tupelo County Jail”). The disc also includes two tracks each from Terry Eldridge and Wildfire, as well as contributions from Josh Crowe, Jim Hurst, New Tradition, and Larry Stephenson.

The bad news is the total absence of women: both among the performers and the artists who popularized these classics. This glaring omission underscores the convenience factor behind the conception of this compilation.

by Tim Walsh

“Made in the Shade” by the Red Stick Ramblers

Red Stick Ramblers
Made in the Shade
Sugar Hill Records
4 stars (out of 5)

The Red Stick Ramblers’ Made in the Shade provides a diverse mix of
musical styles and experiences, all inspired by the rich and tasty
musical gumbo of Louisiana. Predominantly filled with Cajun dance
tunes, this album offers something for fans of almost any genre.
The unrushed leisurely pace of the songs lends itself to a nice,
relaxed wash of sound. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon, a
Saturday night dance, or (in my case) a Monday morning in the office
stuffing envelopes, Made in the Shade includes a timeless array of
musical samplings.

Ramblers Linzay Young on fiddle, Chas Justus on guitar, Kevin Wimmer
on fiddle, Glenn Fields on drums, and Eric Frey on bass are joined by
guests Blake Miller on accordion, Chris Stafford on electric guitar,
Wilson Savoy on piano, and Dirk Powell on acoustic guitar and piano.
Linzay, Chas, Kevin, and Eric all share the vocals.

Clifton Chenier’s “Hot Tamale Baby” is given a raucous Rambler
interpretation, involving the crowd in a call and response chant,
creating a live feel for the listener at home (or in the car, or at
work…). The last song on the album, “The Smeckled Suite,” is an
interesting and ambitious instrumental work which travels the musical
influences of the world from South Asian drones to Latin flamenco to
American Swing. The Ramblers’ presentation of Bob Wills tune “Don’t
Cry Baby” brings forth a vision of cheek-to-cheek dancing, deliberate
and syrupy in its delivery. Even a cowboy song – entitled,
appropriately enough, “The Cowboy Song” - finds its way into the mix.

In this fun mix of up tempo and low key tunes, be sure to check out
the hurricane-inspired “Katrina,” “Laisse Les Cajuns Danser,” and
“Tes Parents Ne Veulent Plus Me Voir.”

by Katy Leonard

“Dailey & Vincent” by Dailey & Vincent

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 Jeff Parker. And in just 30 seconds you’ve got a strong dose of the vibrant modern bluegrass - not too traditional, not too progressive - that follows on 11 more tracks.

Vincent, former guitarist and baritone singer in Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder, steps into the vocal spotlight with engaging lead singing on “Cumberland River,” “Don’t You Call My Name,” and “Music of the Mountains” and on gospel numbers “Place on Cavlary” and “My Savior Walks with Me Today,” the latter a beautiful Monroe Brothers-style duet with Dailey singing tenor and just guitar and mandolin backing.

Gillian Welch’s “By the Mark” get similar treatment, with Dailey taking the lead on what must be considered the best “bluegrass” version of this modern classic.

Dailey, who gained countless fans from his several years in Doyle Lawson’s Quicksilver, is equally adept at quick-steppers like “Sweet Carrie” and “Poor Boy Workin’ Blues” as he is on mid-tempos like “More Than a Name on a Wall,” “River of Time,” “Take Me Back and Leave Me There,” and the gospel showpiece “I Believe.”

The picking throughout, though clearly subservient to the vocals, is first-rate, with Andy Leftwich and Stuart Duncan handling the studio fiddle duties with their characteristic brilliance.

by Aaron Keith Harris

“Footprints: A IIIrd Tyme Out Collection” by IIIrd Tyme Out

IIIrd Tyme Out
Footprints: A IIIrd Tyme Out Collection
Rounder Records
3.5 Stars (out of 5) 

Footprints: A IIIrd Tyme Out Collection compiles thirteen tracks from the band’s four Rounder releases during the mid to late 1990s plus two previously unreleased tracks - “Footprints in the Snow” and “One Kiss Away from Loneliness.”  

The reissued tracks recall IIIrd Tyme Out’s seven year reign (1994-2000) as the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year. Two-time Male Vocalist of the Year Russell Moore’s terrific lead and hair-raising harmonies from Wayne Benson, Ray Deaton, and Steve Dilling comprised a vocal tour de force that conquered everything from driving grassers “John and Mary” and “Raining in L.A.” to trademark adaptations of “Milk Cow Blues,” “Only You (and You Alone),” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” The latter is one of three standouts from the gospel collection Living on the Other Side. 

The heart-stopping, could-have-heard-a-pin-drop cover of Carl Jackson’s “Erase the Miles” is the lone track from Live at the MAC, but it reminds us that IIIrd Tyme Out is alive and well (having recently released its third recording from that venue). Deaton and fiddler Mike Hartgrove have departed, but Moore, Dilling, and Benson carry on with new mates Justin Haynes and Edgar Loudermilk. 

While all four source releases remain in print, Footprints affords newcomers a less expensive (but obviously less comprehensive) catch-up opportunity. Meanwhile, longtime followers must decide whether to spring for a wonderful mix tape to get two new tunes. Maybe purchasing single-track downloads has its merits after all. 

by Tim Walsh