Reviews

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND LOVE. AIN’T LOVE Frog Pad Records FP0117 Yonder Mountain String Band founding members Adam Aijala (guitar), Dave Johnston (banjo), and Ben Kaufmann (bass) brought Jacob Jolliff (mandolin) and Allie Kral (fiddle) on board a few years ago to reconfigure the band as a traditional bluegrass instrumental five-piece. But what this Colorado-based…

BECKY BULLER CREPE PAPER HEART Dark Shadow Recording DSR201801    The first thing you need to know is that there’s plenty to love on Becky Buller’s latest album besides the classic bluegrass gospel “Written In The Back Of The Book” and the driving “Speakin’ To That Mountain.” Buller is riding a wave that has taken her…

KEN PERLMAN FRAILS & FROLICS Redbud Recordings #103 Ken Perlman is a master banjo player. A long time ago, he looked at the banjo and the perceived limitations of the instrument and proceeded to take clawhammer banjo to places no one else has gone with as much success. The famous bum-ditty rhythm of the most…

NEFESH MOUNTAIN BENEATH THE OPEN SKY No Label No Number Nefesh Mountain’s second album, Beneath The Open Sky, puts on an all-out assault on the senses from the get-go. First, the cover art seems to be a mix of the 1960s rock scene meeting the folk scene. Then, when the CD starts to play, it comes…

SIDELINE FRONT AND CENTER Mountain Home MH17052 With its fourth album, this six-man “Carolina-style-grass” band of super pickers once again displays its flair for seamless instrumental prowess, exemplary song choices, soulful singing and overall nonpareil musicianship. Front And Centerkicks off with “Thunder Dan” (written by Josh Manning), a bruising, tongue-in-cheek story-song about a mythical mountain…

REBEKAH LONG RUN AWAY Luk Records Luk 100 Run Awayis Rebekah Long’s new solo album and highlights why she’s a needed fresh face in the bluegrass world. Simply put, her voice is as pure as her musical heart. She makes music that’s unique, quirky (in a great way), and authentic. Long was one of the…