Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass
Forty Years of Trouble: SCR-51
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If traditional bluegrass played in the old time way is your kind of grass then Bob Paisley's live recording in Holland will delight you to no end. The fans in Harpel, Holland and at the Big Bear Festival in Zuidlaren, Holland, were treated, in 1994, to a perfect marriage of high lonesome vocals and fine picking, to which all Paisley fans can now have access. Bob Paisley's vocal performances on standards like Bill Monroe's "Kentucky Waltz," and "Footprints in The Snow" are as emotive as any bluegrass singer alive today. As much as I like the entire project, I'm sure it'll be his emotional treatment of prison numbers like "Shackles and Chains," "Prison Walls of Love," and the title track that will keep this CD revisiting my player for years to come. Bob and Dan Paisley's guitar and Hendrik Arend's bass provide a strong foundation for Jon Glik's superb fiddle work and Bobby Lundy's banjo. Instrumentals like "Bill Cheatham," "Hop High Ladies," and "Florida Blues" give anyone a change to really cut loose. With exceptional quality for a live recording on a small label this would be a good introduction to this fine band. No fancy production techniques or studio enhancement here, just great bluegrass music played live.
Cary Virgin, Bluegrass Now, December 2002
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