Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite
ROU-495 - 13 cuts - 45 min
Rounder Records, One Camp Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02140

If Ms. Krauss ever did a TV show it would quite likely be called "Everyone Loves Alison". Her angelic vocals transcend musical genres, giving her fans from all sides of the music spectrum. Lucky for us here roots are firmly planted in bluegrass. Her latest release "New Favorite" continues in her formula of strong vocals and impressive picking to come up with another winning release. Krauss plays fiddle and sings lead on seven songs, Dan Tyminski handles the vocals on three cuts plus adds guitar and mandolin and Ron Block sings one as well as handling banjo and guitar. Barry Bales adds harmony vocals and bass and Union Station new comer Jerry Douglas chips in on dobro. For the most part the song selection alternates between a soulful ballad by Krauss and a harder driving more traditional selection of Tyminski, Block or the one instrumental. For this release the banjo is more prominent than on some of their more recent releases and the addition of Douglas' dobro gives the album a slightly more traditional feel. Top picks from this album include "The Lucky One", "Bright Sunny South" and "It All Comes Down To You". While some of Krauss' vocal work on this album pushes the edge a little bit, there is more than enough here to satisfy both bluegrass and Alison Krauss fans alike.

U.S. Navy Country Current Bluegrass Quartet - Navy Bluegrass 75442255632 - 14 cuts - 42 min.
Coker & McCree INC., 7019 Tartan Drive, Brentwood, TN, 37027

The band at Buttwood Bluegrass festival, Littlewood, North Carolina, 1999
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Country Current is the U.S. Navy's seven piece country music group. In 1989 the director of Country Current, Master Chief Musician Bill Emerson formed the Bluegrass Quartet. They were an immediate hit, being featured on TV and radio, numerous bluegrass festivals across the US and representing their country at the 1992 Swedish Army Tattoo in Stockholm. There are many things that set these bluegrass boys apart from other bands. Their crisp white uniforms, complete with ribbons, having your rank listed as part of your name in the credits (more about that later) and serving your country by playing bluegrass. There are not too many musicians who can say that. But, even though there are these differences they are, after all is said and done a fine bluegrass band. The Quartet consists of Senior Chief Musician Wayne C. Taylor guitar and lead vocals, Chief Musician Keith M. Arneson banjo, guitar and vocals and Musician First Class Patrick J. White on fiddle and mandolin. Musician First Class Joseph L. Wheatley and Senior Chief Musician Michael A. Nicholson split the acoustic bass work. Best bets on this CD include "A Walk In The Irish Rain", and "Little Whitewashed Chimney" and Taylor's two originals "Heart Of Caroline" and "Every Time It Snows".

Various Artists - Cool Blue Rocks: rock & roll in the bluegrass tradition
SUG-CD-3930 - 13 cuts - 54 min.
Sugar Hill Records, PO Box 55300, Durham, NC, 27717 - 5300

Imagine you are listening to a bluegrass CD by some progressive artist like Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien or even the Seldom Scene. They often slip in one or two tunes that are out on the edge. It could be considered bluegrass in the broadest sense but it just doesn't quite fit. Well Sugar Hill has compiled all of those bluegrass misfits on one CD and the results are amazing. "Cool Blue Rocks" is a collection of rock & roll songs given a bluegrass makeover. The Seldom Scene's version of "Bad Moon Rising" is an example of a rock song converted straight to bluegrass. The other dozen songs wander further and further from the mainstream, but it works. Sam Bush does an outstanding job on mandolin and vocally with "Sailin' Shoes". Sammy Shelor banjo version of "Cross Road Blues", Seldom Scene's "Settin' Me Up" and "Let It Roll" by Chesapeake are all excellent as well. The most interesting cover is New Grass Revival's "One Love/People Get Ready", think reggae with banjo. Even this collection of misfits has a song that is out there, Psycograss' "3rd Stone From The Sun", it defines the boundary that even the most avant-garde bluegrass fans will not cross. This album is little bit different but all in all an excellent collection.

The Country Gentlemen - On The Road (and more)
SFW CD 4013 - 19 cuts - 61 min.
Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, 750 - 9th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20560-0953

This CD is a rerelease of a 1963 album on Folkways. "On the Road" was originally made up from two live concert performances by the Country Gentlemen. A third concert set was found in the Smithsonian archives and added to this CD for the "(and more)" portion of the title. This band covered a wide section of bluegrass history since it's founding in 1957. This recording concentrates on what is often referred to "The Classic Country Gentlemen". These performances are from 1961-63 when the band was comprised of Charlie Waller, guitar, John Duffy, mandolin, Eddie Adcock, banjo and Tom Gray bass. This ensemble had the stuff legends are made of, incredible instrumentalists with the three part harmony of Waller, Duffy and Adcock. The advantage to these live performances is that they give us a glimpse at the stage presence of this band. The banter and jokes between songs and the approach to novelty tunes shows us the work that they put into not only being a top band but all round entertainers. Highlights include the two versions of "A Letter To Tom", "The Fields Have Turned Brown" and "John Hardy". As an added bonus this project includes a 32 page booklet giving an in depth look at the band's history plus the words to all the vocal selections.

James Reams & The Barnstormers - Barnstormin'
CCCD-0195 - 15 cuts - 38 min.
Copper Creek Records, PO Box 3161, Roanoke, VA, 24015

Like so many others before him who spread the bluegrass sound, James Reams was a southerner who's family moved north (Wisconsin) and later Reams relocated to New York. Reams is the lead singer and guitar player of his band, he also wrote five fine tunes featured on this CD. Mark Farrell on mandolin and fiddle and Carl Hayano on bass provide the harmony vocals. Mickey Maguire rounds out the regular band on banjo and guests Scott Risner and Kenny Kosek add mandolin and fiddle respectively. This band plays an infectious brand of driving traditional bluegrass. But, what makes them distinctive is the edge in Reams' voice and how they use the fiddle and banjo to give them a bit of an old time string band flavor. Top picks on this collection come from the pen of Reams and include "Coal Dust In My Soul", "The Cincinnati Southern" and "Buffalo Creek Flood" any of which could become a true bluegrass standard. Another notable selection is "Birch Brook Exit" and instrumental by the band's banjoist M. Maguire. This is a marvelous collection of bluegrass music from this band. Reams is a triple threat on guitar, vocals and songwriting and this has earned him the title "Father of Brooklyn Bluegrass".

1 Jan 2003. Updated 12 Dec 2004