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 will break it into two parts, and run the rest next Sunday.

A series of rambles about CDs by bluegrassmercury…

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 Infamous Stringdusters - Travis Book (bass, vocals), Jesse Cobb (mandolin), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle, vocals), Andy Hall (dobro, vocals) and Chris Pandolphi (banjo) – are a bunch of young honchos who have just released their second album. This self-titled collection (Sugar Hill 4043) is growing on me. Book’s soulful vocals shine on Won‚Äòt Be Coming Back, the melodic Bound For Tennessee and the bluesy Get It While You Can. Garrett is a fine vocalist as well, as demonstrated on Three Days In July (historians, think Gettysburg, 1863), I Wonder and You Can‚Äòt Handle The Truth. There’s three enjoyable instrumentals in Glass Elevator by Pandolphi, Golden Ticket by Cobb and Black Rock by Hall, keeping interest going until the end. Overall the sextet produces a warm, full sound with fiddle and Dobro ¬Æ prominent, rather than just having one or other, as a lot of groups do.

There aren’t any surprises on Danny Paisley’s The Room Over Mine (Rounder 0589); he continues where he and his father left off. The 13-tack collection epitomizes the hard-driving Galax area mountain-style of bluegrass, with fiddle kick-offs and driving banjo ringing loud and clear. There‚Äòs a couple of outstanding new ‚Äòold’ songs in Chris Stuart’s opener, Don’t Throw Mamma’s Flowers Away and Drowning Sailor, both of which suit Paisley to a ‚ÄòT’. Most of the rest are bluegrass versions of songs from the classic country catalogue, with a couple from his dad’s repertoire, now re-done. In the former category are The Convict And The Rose, written by Betty Chapin and Robert A. King and recorded by Marty Robbins and Charlie Moore among others, I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name, done in a honk-tonk style with walking bass and I’m Coming Back But I Don’t Know When, a song Danny first heard done by Charlie Monroe.

In the second group are At the End of a Long Lonely Day, now done in different way and with different lyrics and A Memory of You, previously recorded by Jim and Jesse. Donnie Eldreth Jr does a great job having learned how to follow Danny’s lead singing and does likewise when he is singing lead as on Another Bridge to Burn, a song from Ray Price’s repertoire. Those Paisleys and the Lundy brothers know how to do it and they do it exceptionally well. (more…)

North Carolina-based quintet High Windy will be featured on Sirius-XM’s Bluegrass Junction tomorrow morning.

Members of High Windy – Ty Gilpin (mandolin), Patrick McDougal (banjo), Tim Gardner (fiddle), Mark V. Davis (bass) and Shane Lail (guitar) -  join Bluegrass Junction host Kyle Cantrell to talk about the band’s recently released and much acclaimed CD, A Greater Storm, during tomorrow’s program, January 14 at 11:00 a.m. (EST).

Kyle will spin each track from the CD and get input from the band on the songs, arrangements and stories contained therein.

Highlights on the CD include several original songs by the excellent songwriter Patrick McDougal, including Richest Man To God, Dancin’ Round The Daisies and Stuck Out In The Rain; three songs penned by Shane Lail including Love Of A Lifetime, and one from Ty Gilpin, Iron Horse.

Bluegrass Junction can be found at XM 14 and Sirius 65.

Don’t worry if you are not able to listen at that time… the show will be repeated on Saturday, January 17 at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday, January 20 at 9:00 p.m.

Western North Carolina-based bluegrass artists High Windy will release their debut project, A Greater Storm, May 20th on the Mountain Home label.

Named for a sweeping ridge line near their home in Asheville, NC, High Windy is one of that area’s fastest rising groups. After four years of regional award-winning performances this original bluegrass unit now moves into the national scene with their first recording effort.

A Greater Storm includes twelve tracks, nine of which were crafted by members of this five-piece group. Recognized bluegrass songwriter, vocalist and banjo player Patrick McDougal, contributes five songs to the project including a new version of his song The County Fool previously recorded by Alan Bibey and Del McCoury. He also wrote Stuck Out In The Rain, Four Winds, and Dance Around the Daisies, each of which helps to give an appropriate “nature” theme to the album. The Richest Man To God is a great gospel flavored tune from the same writer.

Guitarist and vocalist Shane Lail has three original songs Love of a Lifetime, which he frequently dedicates to his wife Stephanie; Good Ole Days, a song about love lost but not forgotten and Coming Home, about getting off the road and back to the ones we love and miss.

Mandolin player Ty Gilpin contributes the story song, Iron Horse, about the ironies of western development and the history of “progress in America.”

A Greater Storm also includes two fiddle-driven instrumentals, Big Scioto and Staten-Isle Joe, both of which are arranged by fiddler Tim Gardner. Each is a mix between bluegrass and old time music.

The fifth member of High Windy is bass player and lead and harmony vocalist Mark V Davis.

Guest musicians include award-winning Dobro¬Æ player Rob Ickes, David Johnson, Jeff Taylor and Cody Kilby. (more…)