Still Here
Mountain Home, 2021
9/10
Both legends in the bluegrass scene for several decades now, Steve Gulley and Tim Stafford return here with Ron Stewart, Barry Bales, Thomas Cassell and Dale Ann Bradley for 11 tracks of love, loss and life on the mountain.
The title track starts the listen with a soulful, acoustic guitar driven opener that brings in Stewart’s fiddle acrobatics, and “Living Shouldn’t Be This Hard” follows with a swift bluegrass spirit where both Gulley and Stafford’s pipes highlight the timeless, melodic landscape.
Closer to the middle, the gentle beauty of “She Threw Herself Away” flows with an emotive quality, while “My Last Excuse To Drink” finds itself benefitting from Cassell’s mandolin prowess as the vocal harmonies impress, too. “Long Way Around The Mountain”, one of the album’s best, then glides swiftly with incredible string interaction and harmony vocals from the always impressive Bradley.
Near the end, “It’s All About The Game” offers some country influences into the banjo friendly climate, and “Back When It Was Easy” exits the listen with group vocals contributing to the cautious and gentle finish to a very articulate and powerful effort.
Gulley gained quite a bit of fame being the founder and leader of Mountain Heart, and Stafford has done much great work in Blue Highway. Very sadly, this will be the last joint release from the pair, as Gulley passed away shortly after they recorded Still Here. He leaves behind an esteemed body of work, and this swan song is certainly an unexpected, exceptional farewell from one of the best musicians to ever grace the bluegrass community.
Travels well with: Thomm Jutz- To Live In Two Worlds Volume 2; Sideline- Breaks To The Edge