By Kevin Garratt (Generation Gap)

GARY PAYNE HAS ALWAYS been a driving force on the Bluegrass scene and when he decided to form a band along with Pat Francis on dobro, Rob Jackson on banjo, with Sherryl Payne holding it all together on upright bass, we knew a good band was in the making. How good, and how quickly it would blossom, is something else.

The first thing that struck me is the overall sound of the CD. That is not to say there are no minor flaws, but in general the quality of the recording is very good and the mix of vocal and instrumental parts is well balanced. It’s one of the best overall sound quality recordings I’ve heard from a British band.

The CD kicks off with Blue Virginia Blue, a good roll-along song with a country feel. And that haunting dobro sound - it reminds me of some of the early recordings by Mac Wiseman. There is some good dobro throughout the whole set - check out the breaks on some of the slower numbers like What Was I Supposed o Do? or the faster playing on the likes of Find Me On A Mountain Top and Sledd Ridin’. Rob's rock solid banjo style is prominent on much of the material. I like particularly the playing on Blue Piece Of Paper and the Blue Highway classic, Midnight Storm. The distinctive sound of Gary's guitar style is heard on many breaks; I like his playing on Where There’s A Will and some of the breaks on the slower numbers come over quite well, too.

Blackjack at RochEdale

The vocals are just what we have come to expect in Bluegrass - out front and no holding back on the strong harmonies. That formula has been tried and tested may times and it work well on most of these songs. One thing that strikes me is the quality of Sherryl’s lead vocals, especially on Goin' Gone and the title track, where her voice just blends in with the instrumental backing.

In general a great effort from a band that has been together for only around 18 months. I first heard them at Malvern Festival last year. Since then they have Played at most of the major festivals in the UK along with lots of other dates, been to festivals in mainland Europe twice and put this CD together. If the bluegrass scene in the UK needs some inspiration on what can be done in a short time we need to look no further than Blackjack who have proved without doubt that Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way!

Kevin Garratt, Leeds.

Contact Blackjack: Sherryl Payne: Tel:01252-342678. Write to

1st July 1999