Chronicle: Friends And Music
Pinecastle, 2019
8/10
Though Gena Britt cut her teeth as a member of Daughters Of Bluegrass, she might be best known as a current player in Sister Sadie, who have quickly become the supergroup that everyone in the bluegrass scene is admiring.
On this, her sophomore solo album, which arrives over a decade after her last one, Britt is in great company with plenty of contributors, as she handles banjo duties on all tracks and vocals on about half.
“Over And Over” gets the album off to a strong start with quick banjo work and soaring, pretty vocals from Britt, and “You Don’t Get Over That” follows with a softer, gorgeous display of restrained skill.
Further along, “Get Up In Jesus’ Name” is a gospel influenced tune with plenty of backing vocals, while “On And On” illustrates adventurous interplay between the organic instruments with flowing vocal harmonies.
The back half offers the timeless “Traveling Poor Boy”, where Marty Raybon lends his fluid pipes, and the cautious atmosphere of “Untold Stories”, where many voices illuminate this bluegrass highlight. “Looking Forward To The Good Life” ends the listen calm and agile, where Robert Hale harmonizes with Britt as aching mandolin helps punctuate the emotive landscape.
There’s a very good reason why Sister Sadie were Grammy Nominated; the songwriting and execution of that ensemble is nothing short of extraordinary, and Britt brings that talent to this highly accomplished and extremely timeless affair.
Travels well with: Sister Sadie- II; Dale Ann Bradley- The Hard Way