Run This Town
Mountain Home, 2026
9/10
The mandolinist and vocalist Ashby Frank bings us a diverse bluegrass effort, where 13 tracks unfold with an all star cast by his side.
“Run This Town” opens with Ashby’s flowing mandolin and soaring vocals amid the quick bluegrass melodies, and “She Believes” follows with Jim VanCleve’s warm fiddle that suits the intimate mood and heartfelt singing.
Residing in the middle, Seth Taylor’s warm guitar aligns with Steve Hinson’s radiant pedal steel across the rhythmic “Valerie”, while the title track benefits from Tony Creasman’s fluid drums via the soft and cozy duet.
“God Gave Me Horses” and “The Pretender” exit the record. The former showcases Matt Menefee’s meticulous banjo that aligns with a lush and layered album highlight, and the latter, a Foo Fighters’ cover, sees Frank and company putting a mountain-esque spin on the rocker with incredible detail.
Frank and his company cover a lot of territory here, where rock, country and pop are touched upon under his timeless and inimitable brand of bluegrass.
Travels well with: Vickie Vaughn- Travel On; Unspoken Tradition- Resilience