| Track by Track Review
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Grant Brothers & Their Music - Tell It To Me
Classic old-school bluegrass music is on display here. This tune is fun, if a bit lackluster in some ways. It's pretty light-hearted in tone given the lyrics. |
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Roane County Ramblers - Home Town Blues
This instrumental is energetic and tasty. I love some of the melodies at its heart. |
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Clarence Greene - Johnson City Blues
This is just a man with a guitar. It's a down-home number that's very stripped back.
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Proximity String Quartet - Louise
Even more homey in a lot of ways, this is another that's fairly stripped back.
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Richard Harold - The Battleship Maine
While the general concept here is pretty similar to the last couple tunes, I really can't take this one. I don't like the vocals at all, and the arrangement is too stripped back to really make up for it. |
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Charlie Bowman & His Brothers - Roll On Buddy
This is more energetic and works pretty well. The bluegrass jamming seems rather inspired. |
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Bill & Belle Reed - Old Lady And The Devil
This is another where the lyrics don't really seem to fit with the lighthearted nature of the music. Old-school bluegrass sounds are on the menu here. |
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McVay & Johnson - I'll Be Ready When The Bridegroom Comes
Feeling like a bluegrass hoedown party, this is a fun track. It's one of the highlights of the set. |
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Earl Shirkey & Roy Harper - When The Roses Bloom for the Bootlegger
With a spoken introduction, this is an old-school, down-home folk styled piece. It includes some yodeling. |
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George Roark - I Ain't A Bit Drunk
I like the playful and fast-paced bluegrass groove of this tune. This is a fun cut and one of the standouts here. |
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Garland Brothers & Grinstead - Just Over The River
With both male and female vocals, this bluegrass number has a lot of vitality. |
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McCartt Brothers & Patterson - Green Valley Waltz
This slower tune is very much in a down-home style. It's not one of my favorites here. |
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Blalock & Yates - Pride Of The Ball
Another slow tune, this is a bit bouncy. It's another with a serious down-home feeling to it.
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George Wade & Francum Braswell - When We Go A-Courtin'
This is another example where the lighthearted and playful music really doesn't fit the dark and violent themes of the lyrics. |
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Jack Jackson - I'm Just A Black Sheep
Slow moving and balladic, this has a bit of an operatic edge to it. |
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Wyatt & Brandon - Evalina
With both male and female vocals, this has a real old-time folk music texture to it. It's one of the more interesting pieces here.
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Roy Harvey & Leonard Copeland - Just Pickin'
An instrumental, the bluegrass picking on this is so cool. This is a song that doesn't really feel dated even today. It's a definite highlight of the set.
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The Spindale Quartet - God Will Take Care Of You
From an instrumental, we go to an acapella arrangement. This is essentially a gospel piece, but you probably figured that out from the title.
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Moatsville String Ticklers - Moatsville Blues
The bluegrass is strong with this number. It is another instrumental piece. It's also another standout.
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Byrd Moore & His Hot Shots - Three Men Went A-Hunting
A bouncing kind of hoedown piece, this is another fun one. |
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Clarence Ashley - The Coo-Coo Bird
I really like the down-home vibe on this tune. This is a classy roots music piece that doesn't sound all that different from a lot of the roots music revival that's been underway for a while. |
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The Bentley Boys - Down On Penny's Farm
Here we get another old-school bluegrass tune. It's solid, but not a standout. |
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Bowman Sisters - Old Lonesome Blues
This feels particularly dated. I don't really like this one much, but the female lead vocals are a nice change. |
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Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands - The Last Gold Dollar
More down-home sounds are on display here, This is another that doesn't work all that well for me, but I do like some of the instrumental work. |
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Ira & Eugene Yates - Powder And Paint
The fast paced groove on this almost feels like what you might call "bluegrass punk." It's quaint, but also fun. |
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Ellis Williams - Buttermilk Blues
The closer is a rather fun bluegrass instrumental. |
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