There is so much going on here all day at IBMA that there is no hope of ever catching it all.

Brance and I had a great interview with Del McCoury (which we’ll get up as soon as we can), but I got down to the evening showcases too late to hear The Davidson Brothers, who traveled from Australia to perform at IBMA.

I did get to hear Gold Heart, and they delivered a strong set of original bluegrass, taken primarily from their new Rural Rhythm CD, My Sisters And Me. This teen sister trio consists of Analise, Jocelyn and Shelby Gold along with their dad, Trent, on bass and Russ Carson on banjo.

Mike Lovely shot some terrific pictures of them on stage.

Gold Heart is another of the official IBMA showcase acts invited to perform at the 2009 World Of Bluegrass. They will perform on the Monday night event at 8:30 p.m., following the Keynote address from Pete Fisher of The Grand Ole Opry.

The band is a youthful sister act, featuring the three Gold sisters, Alanlise on mandolin, Jocelyn on guitar and Shelby on fiddle. All three write and sing, and the group tours with papa Gold (Trent) on bass and Russ Carson on banjo.

Their new CD, My Sisters And Me, recently-released on Rural Rhythm, highlights their many talents. All but 3 of the 12 tracks are Gold sisters originals, and these skillful young ladies sound like studio pros – which they are, with two previous releases as Gold Heart.

We had the chance to discuss the new album with all three of them this week, and the interview shows just how thoughtful and serious the Gold sisters are about their music. Read it all (and hear several audio samples) after the jump.

Our first question involved the differences they have seen working with a label versus releasing self-produced projects.

“Wow! It is so cool! The Passamano family and Rural Rhythm Records are great people to work with. They have put a lot of confidence in us, believing that our project would be a success. We felt we couldn’t go wrong with Rural Rhythm Records and it was a true honor to sign on with them. It’s business, but it is also a relationship between families. They are very close knit and so are we.

Ironing out details has never been a problem and My Sisters And Me has been one  smooth experience from start to finish. We’re really, really happy and look forward to working with Rural Rhythm on future projects. We are truly blessed!

Just four years ago we were trying to figure out how to hold our instruments correctly and now we’re on the same label as Mountain Heart, Lonesome River Band, and IIIrd Tyme Out!  (No pressure here!)” (more…)

Rural Rhythm is promoting a single from My Sisters And Me, the upcoming CD from Gold Heart.

Gold Heart is made up of sisters Analise, Jocelyn and Shelby Gold along with papa Trent Gold and banjo picker Russ Carson. Dad plays bass, Analise mandolin, Jocelyn guitar, and Shelby fiddle. All three sisters sing.

The single is Sister, a song by Nora Jane Struthers – an appropriate choice, don’t you think?

Sister is included in Rural Rhythm’s Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks #5, sent to bluegrass radio in early June.

This column, containing brief reviews of recent CD releases by Richard Thompson, is published in the current (Spring 2009) edition of British Bluegrass News. As it is a lengthy piece, we have broken it into two parts, with the firt installment having run last Sunday.

A series of rambles about CDs by bluegrassmercury, part 2…

A big bundle of CDs has landed on my desk in the recent past. They include those by Danny Paisley, the Infamous Stringdusters, Williams & Clark Expedition, Kenny & Amanda Smith Band, Daughters Of Bluegrass, High Windy, Gold Heart, Cherryholmes, Earl Scruggs, The Mashville Brigade, Crowe Brothers, Ralph Stanley II, Longview, Big Country Bluegrass.

The Daughters Of Bluegrass Bluegrass Bouquet (Blue Circle BCR 017) is an epic collection of some considerable magnitude, comprising 17 cuts and featuring over 50 ‚Äòdaughters.’ The first track, Proud To Be A Daughter of Bluegrass alone there are 20 ladies singing, 4 shouters and 6 pickers.

Those familiar with the Blue Circle label and the Good Home Grown Music group will recognise that this album is the product of Tom T Hall and our own Miss Dixie Hall. She’s a Boldmere, Birmingham girl! The duo penned all songs and most of the recording was done at the Hall’s home studio in Franklyn, Tennessee.

The quality of songs and singers is remarkably and consistently high, with many stand-out tracks (There Ought to Be) More to Love than This [sung by Lisa Ray]; I’m Gonna Love You Now [Frances Mooney]; Nobody Home [Lorraine Jordan]; the a cappella Go Up on the Mountain and Wait [with five-part harmonies]; I Made of a Flower Today and Scenes from an Old Country Graveyard, both with an old-time country feel; another with a gospel edge Take Me With You [Beth Lawrence]; Desmoranda [Valerie Smith]; Carolina State of Mind [Gina Britt]; and Everybody Got a Light [Beth Stevens]. In addition to the opening song, three others feature multiple lead vocalists. Overall, the ladies have produced an excellent album.

The latest album from Ralph Stanley II This One Is II (Lonesome Day Records 013) sees him striking out for a wider market than that which encapsulates the strict bluegrass fan. Stanley has a deeper voice than the late lamented Keith Whitley, but the similarities are very definitely there, just as they are with his uncle, Carter Stanley.

II, as he is known, has gathered together a bunch of top studio buddies; Tim Crouch (fiddle and guitar), Cody Kilby (guitar), Randy Kohrs (resophonic guitar), Harold Nixon (bass), Adam Steffey (mandolin) and Ron Stewart (banjo, utilised sparingly). Jim Lauderdale, Steve Gulley, Darrin Vincent, Marty Raybon and Dale Ann Bradley all provide some harmonic assistance.

Beginning with a Garth Brooks song, Cold Shoulder, II has included a Elton John song (Georgia) and one by Townes van Zandt (the beautifully melodious "Loretta") and another by Lyle Lovett (a driving bluegrass treatment of "L A County"). Also, in the ‚Äòcountry’ pigeon-hole are They Say I’ll Never Go Home, Honky Tonk Way and If This Old Guitar Could Talk. Train Songs is up-tempo offering from the pen of the ubiquitous Tom T Hall. Saving the very best for comment to the last there is the killer Moms Are the Reason Wild Flowers Grow and the equally heart-rendering Carter, the Fred Eaglesmith tribute to Carter Stanley. File under ‚ÄòGreat Music.’ (more…)