Bluegrass Troubadour
Pinecastle, 2021
9/10
Listen to Bluegrass Troubadour
The legendary Danny Paisley and his band have enjoyed a lengthy and esteemed career with their traditional take on the time honored bluegrass sound, and together with Ryan Paisley, Bobby Lundy, Mark Delaney and Matt Hooper he continues their powerful, intense and extremely memorable formula.
“Blink Of An Eye” starts the listen with Paisley’s soaring pipes alongside Delaney’s banjo prowess and Ryan Paisley’s mandolin on the harmonic bluegrass opener, and “Date With An Angel” follows with no shortage of melody as Hooper’s fiddle acrobatics don’t disappoint .
Residing next to middle, “Forty Years Of Trouble” offers a swift, dynamic display of strong rural musicianship, while “Fancy Gap Runaway” benefits from fingerpicking acrobatics in the dizzying instrumental. “I’d Rather Live By The Side Of The Road” then showcases Lizzy Long’s tenor vocals on the sublime duet that showcases so much inimitable talent.
At the end, “Long Black Limousine” enters ballad territory with much graceful beauty amid the cautious landscape, and “May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister” exits the listen quick, precise and glowing with bluegrass sensibilities that sound as great today as they will 50 years from now.
Paisley’s diverse and soulful voice sounds better than ever across these 10 tracks, and The Southern Grass certainly know how to inject the perfect balance of energy and emotion while staying true to their classic bluegrass ways on this career highlight effort.
Travels well with: Williamson Branch- Heritage & Hope; Dale Ann Bradley- Things She Couldn’t Get Over