Three 2019 Roots Christmas Albums reviewed

The McCrary Sisters A Very McCrary Christmas Rounder Records A “Respect Yourself”-groove infused “Go Tell It On the Mountain” opens A Very McCrary Christmas, the most exciting seasonal collection that has come my way this very rootsy December. This is an incredible, uplifting hour of soul-filled songs, many of the traditional variety, but so inspired…

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Darin & Brooke Aldridge- Inner Journey review

Darin and Brooke Aldridge Inner Journey Rounder On their seventh studio release, and first for the venerable Rounder Records label, bluegrass music’s reigning power-duo present another collection of stellar modern bluegrass, avoiding pitfalls of select contemporaries. With Rhonda Vincent having largely abandoned recording bluegrass during the last decade, and Dale Ann Bradley no longer receiving…

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The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys- review

My review of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ new one, out on Rounder Records, is up at Exclaim! It is called Toil,Tears, & Trouble, and it is pretty fine. Here’s “Ice on the Timbers,” a song from the deep Cedar Hill catalogue:

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Blue Highway- Somewhere Far Away review

I’ve published my review of Blue Highway’s Somewhere Far Away over at Fervor Coulee Bluegrass: http://www.countrystandardtime.com/blog/FervorCouleeBluegrass/entry.asp?xid=1148 It is another exceptional album from a group that never fails to take their music to new and higher levels of performance. “Ain’t getting no younger, least I’m getting older.” Who knew that one day I would relate?!

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Dervish- The Great Irish Songbook review

Dervish The Great Irish Songbook Rounder Records Northwest Ireland’s favourite band, Dervish returns with a well-executed collection of songs suitably entitled The Great Irish Songbook. Much as other performers of the Celtic variety have done—The Chieftains, Altan, Sharon Shannon among them—Dervish looks to North Americana (I typed that accidentally, and decided it somehow seemed appropriate!)…

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The Wooks- Glory Bound & Della Mae- Butcher Shoppe EP reviews

Glad to have had two reviews published at Country Standard Time this week. The Wooks’ Glory Bound was released in the autumn of 2018, but was only assigned and sent to me this month. What a set! I am not sure exactly how many times I listened to the album during the week I was…

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Lonely Heartstring Band- Smoke & Ashes review

I had anticipated Lonely Heartstring Band would make an Alberta festival appearance this summer, and perhaps they will. However they won’t be at the Blueberry Bluegrass Festival, and that is too bad–they are one of the truly intriguing, leading edge bands in the new acoustic Americana universe. My review of their second album has been…

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