The Indie Acoustic Project has announced the winners of their Best CDs of 2007 awards. To be eligible, a project must have acoustic instrumentation (at least in part) and be released on an independent (non-major) label.

The Infamous Stringdusters got the nod in the Americana category for Fork In The Road, and Larry Cordle (I’m A Lie) and Dwight McCall (Time Of Our Lives) were chosen in the list of Ten Of The Best Songs of 2007.

Congratulations guys!

The new CD from Dwight McCall just landed in my mailbox over the weekend. The CD is titled Never Say Never Again, taking it’s name from the second song on the recording. Today is the release date for this recording, so it should be available now. It’s released on the Rural Rhythm label.

Dwight has been playing mandolin and singing with J.D. Crowe’s band The New South for several years now. Fans of Dwight’s first solo recording, Kentucky Peace of Mind, will want to get this new CD.

The recording includes a total of 14 songs ranging from the traditional Blue Eyed Boston Boy to the more contemporary feeling title cut written by Wayne Winkle and Craig Market. One track I’m especially excited about is Logan’s Crossroad written by Mike Evens and published by Brinksongs. This is a great Civil War song telling the story of a long battle that saw the loss of “many good men.” I’ve loved this tune since I first heard the demo a year ago.

Another cut worth mention is the classic Michael Martin Murphy tune Lost River. I remember this cut from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and it’s always been a favorite. Dwight’s version begins with an incredible mandolin kick-off from mando master Alan Bibey, and the rest of the track lives up to the standard set by Alan. The ending solo section, split by Alan’s mandolin and Ron Stewart’s banjo, is sure to bring to a smile your face. This cut was a highlight for me.

Two of the 14 songs are gospel, one written by Jon Weisberger and the other penned by Dwight himself. The later, He Never Turned Away, is one of the more uptempo songs on the CD and one I would list as a favorite.

The traditional tune, Little Bessie, is the last song I’ll mention. The harmony singing on this tune is excellent, featuring Dwight on lead and baritone vocals, and Rickey Wasson filling in the low tenor. It’s also my favorite mix on the entire CD with the solos out front and the rhythm pounding.

Overall this is a strong outing for Dwight, which finds him surrounded by stellar musicians on each track.

The artists featured on the disc include:

• Dwight McCall: mandolin and vocals
• Alan Bibey: mandolin
• Ron Stewart: banjo, fiddle and mandolin
• Harold Nixon: bass
• Brian Stephens: guitar
• Randy Kohrs: dobro
• Lou Reid: vocals
• Ricky Wasson: vocals
• Steve Gulley: vocals
• Missy Werner: vocals

I couldn’t find any audio samples online, but you can take my word for it, this is a great recording.

Rural Rhythm Records announced on Friday that they have signed Dwight McCall to their label, and will release his next project, Never Say Never Again, in April of 2007. A single track from this CD, Blue Eyed Boston Boy, will be released on Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass, Vol. 86 in mid-March.

Dwight has spent the past ten years as a member of J.D. Crowe & The New South, playing mandolin and singing tenor, and appearing on both the Come On Down To My World and Lefty’s Old Guitar projects with Crowe.

Never Say Never Again includes a number of Dwight’s original songs, plus ones from Brink Brinkman, Jon Weisberger, Wayne Winkle and Craig Market. Assisting Dwight on the recording were Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, Lou Reid, Rickey Wasson, Ron Stewart, Harold Nixon, Randy Kohrs, Brian Stephens and Missy Werner.

McCall’s father, Jim McCall, was also a Rural Rhythm artist, recording three albums for the label with Earl Taylor & Jim McCall with The Stoney Mountain Boys. Rural Rhythm President Sam Passamano commented on the multi-Generational connection.

“Dwight is a perfect fit for Rural Rhythm bridging our rich past history, Earl Taylor & Jim McCall, with our present. He delivers a fresh contemporary new tradition bluegrass sound as a new generation artist that appeals to all ages.”

There are audio samples for each track on Dwight’s web site.

This latest release from J.D. Crowe & The New South has been so long in coming that guitarist, vocalist and emcee Ricky Wasson had taken to joking on stage that he wasn’t going to even suggest when it was due out any longer. Fans would know it was available when they saw it on the table.

It has been quite some time since the tracks were recorded and the CD’s release (10/10), owing to concerns about mixing, re-mixing and such technical issues, but all that is moot now, and fans will indeed see it on the table at New South shows, and wherever they purchase bluegrass music.

I had a chance to listen to the CD over the weekend, and one thing in particular stood out. This may seem like a celebration of the obvious, but bear with me: Lefty’s Old Guitar sounds precisely like a recording from J.D. Crowe & The New South. From the choice of material to the arrangements and the performances, this project sounds like there have been no changes in the way bluegrass music is played since Crowe redefined the genre in 1975 with his classic Rounder 0044 album - and that’s not a complaint.

It’s all there: Crowe’s silky banjo playing, with his always-imaginative backup; the two lead vocalists, one a deep baritone and the other a soaring tenor; virtuouso performances all around; a mix of uptempo songs and thoughtful ballads. There’s even one trademark Crowe ending featuring the familiar sort of mildly jarring, unexpected chord change we have heard from them so many times in the past.

Lefty’s Old Guitar features the current New South lineup: Ricky Wasson on guitar and vocal, Dwight McCall on mandolin and vocal, Ron Stewart on fiddle, Harold Nixon on bass, and Crowe on banjo and vocal.

Unfortunately, I could not turn up any audio samples yet online, even on the Rounder, New South and Amazon sites. Nor does it show up yet in Apple’s iTunes Music Store. We’ll keep an eye out, and post an update when some audio samples turn up, as they are sure to do shortly after the official release date hits tomorrow.

UPDATE: Lefty’s Old Guitar is now available in the iTunes Music Store.