Another CD we received at IBMA that we haven’t yet mentioned is Now I’m Lonely from Cages Bend. It’s a release well worth your attention, and we had held off posting about it on The Bluegrass Blog until online distribution was in effect.

The band is based in Nashville, and fronted by the husband/wife duo of Sim Daley and Missy Radeke-Daley. Missy handles the fiddle and the bulk of the lead vocals, with Sim on banjo. Missy has been playing bluegrass since she was a child with her family’s band, Misty Ridge.

Oddly enough, many folks in bluegrass and acoustic music know Sim from the mandolin world, as his Daley Mandolins are highly prized, and played by such noted artists as Dan Tyminski and Adam Steffey. He was born and grew up in England, developed a taste for the banjo and bluegrass music while still a youngster, and won the UK’s Edale Bluegrass Festival Banjo Contest in 1994.

They are joined by a trio of hot young pickers: Tony Watt on guitar, Jenni Lyn Gardner on mandolin and Daniel Hardin on bass. All three play brilliantly on the CD, with special emphasis on Watt’s rhythm and lead guitar, and Gardner’s vocals and mandolin work.

Now I’m Lonely was produced by Stephen Mougin, guitarist with Sam Bush, and the band credits him for the polished sound they achieved in the studio. Stephen also engineered and was deeply involved in helping select and arrange the songs for this project. The bulk of the songs are originals written by band members, and they show a dexterity in treating a variety of styles with authority - and passion.

Audio samples are available on the Cages Bend site, and on CD Baby.