Bill Monroe’s Ol’ Mandolin
Pinecastle, 2020
9/10
Listen to Bill Monroe’s Ol’ Mandolin
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road have reached legendary status at this point in their decade and a half career, and this installment of timeless bluegrass only solidifies their place at the top in today’s rural rock scene.
The title track starts the listen with beautiful picking as harmonizing vocals highlight the sublime bluegrass sounds, and “They Call It Bluegrass” follows with a swift pace of string acrobatics amid the flowing melodies with Allen Dyer’s sturdy pipes at the helm.
Near the halfway point, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” resides deep into emotive balladry with smooth singing and proficient fiddle from Matt Hooper, while “Boogie Grass Band” puts a playful spin on a Conway Twitty tune with Ben Greene’s banjo making an impression. “Living Like I’m Dying”, one of the album highlights, then has Jordan taking the lead on vocals with a breezy, dreamy approach that might be one of their best tracks to date.
At the end, “Thank God For Kids” trims the pace back to an eloquent, country influenced track where Jordan’s mandolin is aglow, and “Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” exits the listen with a rugged yet tuneful anthem where guitars, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and 3 sets of pipes interact dynamically.
An outfit where all 6 members are nothing short of exceptional, there’s also a handful of guests on hand, and though it’s a lofty assertion considering their luminous catalog, Bill Monroe’s Ol’ Mandolin might be a career high for Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road.
Travels well with: Garrett Newton Band- Bluegrass Barn; Merle Monroe- Back To The Country