Bluegrass Tracks
Shefa, 2024
8/10
The mandolin player Andy Statman leads an excellent cast for these 12 timeless and detailed bluegrass tracks.
The quick mandolin playing of “Stoney Lonesome” starts the listen, and it welcomes Byron Berline’s twin fiddle to the warm bluegrass, and “Sycamore Street” follows with the flowing mandolin and Ron Stewart’s fiddle emitting much beauty and grace.
Further along, the very fast “Bile’em Cabbage Down” showcases meticulous string dynamics and uses Tim O’Brien’s smooth voice superbly, while “Blessing” trims the pace and mood back with intimacy via Bryan Sutton’s cozy guitar and emotive mandolin.
“Katy Hill” and “Starday Hoedown” exit the listen. The former benefits much from Ricky Skaggs’ intricate mandolin, and the latter is full of careful yet adventurous string interaction that we could never tire of.
Fleshed out over 4 days in pre-pandemic times, the esteemed cast present and Statman’s inimitable talents make this a must for fans of anything related to bluegrass.
Gafieira Rio Miami- Bring Back Samba; Malika Zarra- RWA (The Essence)