2009 has been kind to Lonesome River Band so far. Their latest CD, No Turning Back, has been lighting up the bluegrass charts, holding the current #1 spot on both the album and singles spots in the Bluegrass Unlimited July Bluegrass Survey.

Seeing the value of their partnership with Rural Rhythm Records, LRB lead singer and guitarist Brandon Rickman has chosen Rural Rhythm to release his solo debut, Young Man, Old Soul. 9 of the 12 tracks are Rickman compositions, co-written with some prominent contemporary bluegrass writers. Craig Market, Chris Stapleton and Jerry Salley are among his collaborators on this new project, released on June 30.

Brandon covers a wide range of styles within the bluegrass/Americana genre, sometimes with a full band, other times with only sparse guitar accompaniment. The focus throughout is on Rickman’s plaintive and passionate vocals, a sound that will be familiar to LRB fans this past few years.

Backing musicians include Aaron McDaris on banjo, Randy Kohrs on resonator guitar, Andy Ball on mandolin, Mike Anglin on bass and Jane?© Fleenor on fiddle. Harmony vocals come from Terry Eldridge, Tammy Rogers, Larry Cordle, Andy Ball and Jerry Salley among others. Brandon handles the guitar and much of the bass duties, as well as some of the harmonies.

You can hear audio from all 12 tracks at the Rural Rhythm web site and in iTunes. If you’ve enjoyed Brandon’s work with LRB, this CD will be right up your alley.