HIGH BIAS -- lead review

THE GIBSON BROTHERS
Bona Fide
(Sugar Hill)
AUBREY HAYNIE
The Bluegrass Fiddle Album
(Sugar Hill)
RANDY HOWARD
I Rest My Case
(Sugar Hill)
RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER
Live at the Charleston Music Hall
(Skaggs Family)
BRYAN SUTTON
Bluegrass Guitar
(Sugar Hill)
The success of the soundtrack for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? put bluegrass in the center of the pop culture mix for perhaps the first time in its existence. Suddenly soccer moms and teenagers were catching on the joys of percussion-less music made with mandolins, banjos and high mountain harmonies. It didn't last, of course—by the time public television instituted a series of bluegrass-themed pledge specials the style's popularity was already waning—but it did engender higher profiles for genre veterans like Alison Krauss & Union Station, the Del McCoury Band and the venerable Ralph Stanley, who are merely the tip of the iceberg. Even though the spotlight is no longer trained on one of American music's oldest art forms, there are still plenty of quality musicians with their hearts in Kentucky and their fingers on banjo frets. Herewith is a roundup of recent bluegrass records that deserve to be heard.

The Gibson Brothers continue in the long tradition of brother acts in bluegrass with their fourth album Bona Fide. On this set of mostly original songs, guitarist Leigh, banjoist Eric and their cohorts keep the traditional flames burning while stoking new fires. Leigh's "Railroad Line" pays tribute to the railway workers that have captivated bluegrassers for a century, while Eric's "Arlene" and a cover of Tom T. Hall's "Don't Forget the Coffee, Billy Joe" revolve around that timeless 'grass theme of family. "That Bluegrass Music," co-written by both Gibson sibs and bassist Mike Barber, salutes the stuff that gives their souls wings. "Beautiful Brown Eyes" and the instrumental "Shucking the Corn" (which features barnburning performances from Eric and mandolinist Mike MacGlashan) fatten the portfolio of that old songwriting rascal "traditional," while "The Lighthouse," featuring Gibson sister Erin on vocals, sings the gospel. Eric's "Whisper in My Ear" ponders a partner's infidelity, while his "Where Nobody Knows My Name" details the consequences of same. But the Gibsons add their own twists to the familiar. Eric's "Vern's Guitar" looks at a beloved instrument in the hands of a paralyzed man; "Ragged Man," co-written by the brothers, comes from the point of view of a homeless man, and concerns revenge against his sibling the "golden boy." Leigh's "The Open Road" is basically the bluegrass version of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." The modern takes fit right in with the traditional ones; after all, the Gibsons are contemporary musicians and human beings, and have no problem integrating the old and the new. Besides, their brotherly harmonies help sweeten any bitter medicine they might be spooning, and the band's musicianship is impeccable. The Gibson Brothers may have been bred in upstate New York, but Bona Fide proves these boys have Kentucky in their blood. [buy it]

Aubrey Haynie is one of those bluegrass prodigies who start winning fiddle contests as kids before going on to successful session and solo careers (see: Mark O'Connor, who not coincidentally mentored Haynie). The Bluegrass Fiddle Album, his third solo release, is an unabashed celebration of the art of mountain fiddling. Backed by Alison Krauss bassist Barry Bales, banjoist David Talbot and acoustic music heavyweights Tony Rice and Sam Bush on guitar and mandolin, Haynie presents an easygoing set of originals, traditionals and tunes by legendary Bill Monroe bow-wielder Kenny Baker. The thing that makes Haynie stand out in a crowded field is his devotion to the melody; his soulful bowing backs away from the grandstanding that often accompanies this kind of showcase in favor of clean, lyrical lines that never let you forget that you're listening to songs, not set-ups. The back-up players match his relaxed performances, particularly Bush, who shines here. Cuts like "April's Reel," "Bluegrass in the Backwoods" and "Buckner's Breakdown" quicken the pulse without burning up the fretboards, while ballads like "McHattie's Waltz" and "Make a Little Boat" celebrate dreamier moods. The Bluegrass Fiddle Album presents some nice work. [buy it]

Like Haynie, the late Randy Howard worked his way up from being a teenage fiddle contest champion to a first-call Nashville session musician. Though he appeared on dozens, if not hundreds, of country and bluegrass dates in Nashville and his home state of Georgia, Howard released only one prior solo album, 1993's Survival of the Fiddlest. I Rest My Case consists of sessions Howard recorded over a three-year period in the late 1990s, before he succumbed to cancer. Most of the record is in the vein of other instrumental albums featuring musicians who grew up both the bluegrass and newgrass eras. Tunes like "Way Back When," "So Long, Bill" and the title track feature sunny melodies and plenty of solos from the likes of dobroist Jerry Douglas, guitarist Bryan Sutton and Sam Bush, though the focus is squarely on Howard's sweet, flowing fiddle. He also displays a love of swing with the gypsy jazz of "Kansas City Kitty" and "Sweet Bunch of Daisies," tunes so infectiously joyous it's a wonder he didn't record more often in this style. A few sentimental vocal numbers featuring either Carl Jackson or former Lonesome River Band/Longview mandolinist Don Rigsby pop up as well, though they're less satisfying than the instrumental showcases. (The less said about Rigsby's Dan Fogelberg cover the better.) I Rest My Case probably isn't the album Howard would have chosen to go out on (though given the sardonic title and his legendary sense of humor, who knows?), but it's still a solid fiddle record that bespeaks well of his talents. [buy it]

Since Nashville superstar Ricky Skaggs left his mainstream country career behind to concentrate on his first love, he and his band Kentucky Thunder have released a slew of solid-to-stunning 'grass records. After five well-received studio albums, Skaggs finally takes the next obvious step with a live record, Live at the Charleston Music Hall, recorded in South Carolina. Sounding relaxed and happy to be onstage, Skaggs and compadres cheerfully storm through previously-recorded favorites like Bill Monroe's "Get Up John" and "Uncle Pen" (one of those tunes required by law that every bluegrass musician record at least once), the Stanley Brothers' "How Mountain Girls Can Love" and "Pig in a Pen" and "Amanda Jewell," Skaggs' instrumental tribute to his daughter. Not one to simply rest on his laurels, however, Skaggs populates Live with a ton of new material. Lovely covers of Red Smiley's gospel tale "I Heard My Mother Call My Name in Prayer" and Monroe's "Why Did You Wander" join giddy new original instrumentals "Crossview" and the Celtic-flavored "Goin' to the Ceili" and a new Harley Allen song, "A Simple Life," as new classics in the Thunder repertoire. Skaggs' taste for schmaltz gets aired out a bit as well, with a take on Mac McAnally's sentimental "Somewhere Nice Forever" and the eye-rolling choice of Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle," both of which are bluegrass only in instrumentation. But sappy ballads are as much a part of Skaggs' musical makeup as speedy barnburners, so they're easily endured. Besides, with a band of musicians as ferociously skilled as fiddlers Bobby Hicks and Andy Leftwich and guitarist Cody Kilby (who boggles the mind of "Get Up John"), not to mention guest musician Jeff Taylor on accordion, nearly anything would sound good. If Live at the Charleston Music Hall isn't quite on par with the first two Kentucky Thunder records Bluegrass Rules! and Ancient Tones, it's still a damn fine document of live bluegrass. [buy it]

Guitarist Bryan Sutton, hailed for his technical virtuosity and tasteful instincts, first came to prominence as a member of Kentucky Thunder. His first solo album Ready to Go found him pushing the boundaries of acoustic bluegrass, but Bluegrass Guitar, as might be inferred by the title, goes for a more traditional route. Straight traditional tunes like "Big Sandy River," "High Heel Shoe" and A.P. Carter's "The Storms Are on the Oceans" find him trading licks and solos with fiddler Tim Crouch, banjoist David Talbot and mandolinist Tim O'Brien as if they were all sitting around on a back porch somewhere, letting the barbecue settle and the kids play until sundown. The scorching solos on Benny Martin's "Back Up and Push" and "Beaumont Rag" leave no doubt that these are serious musicians, of which Sutton is undeniably the most gifted (and that's saying something). He even takes on Bill Monroe's challenging "Roanoke" and comes out victorious. But where Sutton's playing really shines is on the tunes not necessarily designed as showcases for fleet-fingered technique. The beautiful traditional tune "Margaret's Waltz" evinces some of his most lyrical playing, while "Daley's Reel" and Tim O'Brien's "The High Road" allow him to explore the deep connection between bluegrass and Ireland. Nobody will mistake what Sutton does here for innovation, but only an acoustic music ogre could fail to be charmed by his abilities and taste. Bluegrass Guitar lives up to its title, joining these other fine releases in a ceili of music worth exploring. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of:
the Gibson Brothers: Mountain Heart, Rambler's Choice, the Del McCoury Band
Aubrey Haynie: Jason Carter, Kenny Baker, Bobby Hicks
Randy Howard: Aubrey Haynie, Mark O'Connor, David Grisman
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder: Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, the Johnson Mountain Boys
Bryan Sutton: Bela Fleck's Bluegrass Sessions, Doc Watson, Jerry Douglas