By Kevin Garratt

Track Records 288597.9 (1997)
Virginia Bound / How Could I Love Him So Much? / Blue Tears / Wildwood Flower / I Know I Haven’t Got The Right / The Way You Love / Oh! Ye Of Little Faith / Finer Things / Everchanging Woman / I Know Your Married / Long Time Gone / Timberland / I’ve Just seen A Face / I’m So Thankfull

This CD was sent by the band for review.
The mother and daughter team of Virginia and Letitia Lee who, along with David Blood, form the nucleus of Mixt Company, have been making music together for almost three years. For this their first CD, Virginia ad Letitia (lead and harmony vocals) along with David (mandolin and vocal) are joined by Ed Mueller (banjo and guitar), L.D.Maybry (guitar), Johnny Nellar (bass, dobro and dulcimer) and Stacy Muelar (vocals).

Almost all of the tracks are played in traditional mode with some nice harmony singing from the mother and daughter team. Though it’s pleasant to the ear and some of the instrumentation, especially one or two of the Dobro breaks, are of note, the overall sound is a little weak for my kind of Bluegrass. However I’m sure someone will welcome as a refreshing change the traditional sound where notes are not always flying off the fingerboard at 100 mph!

If you deem good value by the number of tracks on a CD, well this could be considered good value. There are 14 tracks which include some self-penned numbers, like the standard-type Blueass song Virginia Bound and the slower The Way You Love. I particularly like the dobro on the gospel song Oh! Ye Of Little Faith. There are some well-known traditional songs, such as Wildwood Flower, I Know Your Married, Long Time Gone and the Beetles song I’ve just Seen A Face. Being a sucker for slow, sentimental songs for the past 25 years the track that stands out for me is Finer Things, written and sung as a duet by Virginia and Letitia.

There are a lot of second-line US bands with this kind of sound and, though it’s hard to find fault, its not got that ‘punchy’ sound we have come to expect from a lot of the newer bands. To sum up: if you prefer your ’grass with less punch and a little rougher round me edges, with good female singing and a more traditional feel, then you should try Something Old Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Bluegrass - it might work for you.

Kevin Garratt, Leeds

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Updated 23rd Jan 1999