Alison Krauss & Union Station – Arcadia

Down The Road Records – DTR0018

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: United States
Released: March 28, 2025
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Looks Like The End Of The Road (3:39)
A2 The Hangman (3:37)
$3 The Wrong Way (3:35)
A4 Granite Mills (3:40)
A5 One Ray Of Shine (4:03)
B1 Richmond On The James (3:27)
B2 North Side Gal (2:36)
B3 Forever (3:40)
B4 Snow (3:23)
B5 There's A Light Up Ahead (4:14)
[Musician]
Alison Krauss (lead vocals, fiddle, harmony vocals) Barry Bales (upright bass, tenor vocals, bass vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro, lap steel guitar) Ron Block (acoustic guitar, banjo, tenor vocals) Russell Moore (lead vocals, baritone vocals) Dan Tyminski (acoustic guitar, mandolin) Viktor Krauss (piano) Jeff Taylor (accordion) Adam Steffey (mandolin) Stuart Duncan (fiddle)
[Engineer]
Brad Blackwood (mastering) Gary Paczosa (mixing)
[Notes]
Fiddler and singer Alison Krauss has followed a two-track career path: One marks her longtime association with Union Station, her backing band since 1990, and the other, her solo career as a mainstream country artist. Arcadia marks the first time she's recorded with Union Station in 14 years. The band includes her violin alongside Jerry Douglas's dobro, Barry Bales' bass playing, and Ron Block's banjo (all sing). Guitarist/mandolinist Dan Tyminski announced his solo career after completing this album. He is replaced by IIIrd Tyme Out frontman/guitarist Russell Moore who, in addition to his lead and baritone harmony singing, will assume guitar duties from here on in. The ten-track program includes songs Krauss collected during the band's hiatus. The first one she chose, Jeremy Lister's "The End of the Road," opens the album and sets its tone with a dark tale of despair and disillusionment. All but two tracks here are written in a minor key by a variety of composers with lyrics underscoring heartbreak, change, hardship, historic tragedy, and more. Krauss' brother Viktor Krauss (who also contributes piano here) composed the foreboding "The Hangman," set to a poem by Maurice Ogden. It's driven by banjo, piano, and arco bass with an affecting, lonesome vocal by Moore. There's a dreamy tinge to Tyminski's and Robert Lee Castleman's "Wrong Way" -- it's a piercing midtempo ballad with dobro as the engine buoying Krauss's heartbreaking vocal. Moore claims the lead on the traditional "Granite Mills" with the strings arranged by Krauss. It's a ballad based on an 1874 mill fire in Massachusetts that winds through Celtic folk and driving, atmospheric bluegrass. "Richmond on the James" is a Civil War-era tune introduced by an intricate mandolin pulse that's eventually commandeered by banjo as Krauss delivers chugging fiddle stops as an additional rhythm under the bass. Douglas delivers winding, unruly chords before Krauss' solo. Her brother co-wrote "One Ray of Shine" with Saras Siskind, featuring mandolin by Adam Steffey. A moody ballad, it relates the tale of a reclusive protagonist who prefers the tree in her yard to people and yearns for a single ray of sunshine. JD McPherson's "North Side Girl" also features Moore in an old-timey, swinging country-blues with killer dobro work, keening fiddle, and interlocking mandolin. He claims authority with his expressive, empathetic, and resonant instrument. Castleman's "Forever" is a paean to a beloved on the occasion of their parting. Douglas gets reverb all over his dobro as Krauss' fiddle answers with passion. Moore is upfront on "Snow," a high lonesome bluegrass stomper with amazing fiddle, dobro, and banjo work. The album's other bookend, the gorgeous, languid "A Light Up Ahead" is also by Lister. Krauss' gentle yet commanding croon delivers a glimmer of hope atop dobro and guitar before the bass enters for Douglas' and Tyminski's solos. Arcadia is a long-awaited return for Krauss and Union Station; here they reframe American traditional music in a context informed by modern production aesthetics, yet still sound kinetic and completely organic.(Review by Thom Jurek)

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway: Crooked Tree

Nonesuch – 075597911794

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Apr 1, 2022
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 She'll Change (2:41)
02 Flatland Girl (2:35)
03 Dooley's Farm (3:41)
04 Big Backyard (3:17)
05 Crooked Tree (3:52)
06 Castilleja (3:16)
07 The River Knows (3:33)
08 Over The Line (3:01)
09 Nashville Mess Around (2:32)
10 San Francisco Blues (4:04)
11 Goodbye Girl (3:21)
12 Side Saddle (2:44)
13 Grass Valley (3:50)
[Credits]
Molly Tuttle (guitar/vocals) Billy Strings (guitar/vocals) Ron Block (banjo/guitar/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Tina Adair (vocals) Sierra Hull (mandolin) Dominick Leslie (mandolin) Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (fiddle) Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle) Darol Anger (fiddle) Jason Carter (fiddle) Cory Younts (harmonica/vocals) Jerry Pentecost (drums/percussion/vocals) Morgan Jahnig (bass/vocals) Mike Bub (bass) Todd Phillips (bass) Viktor Krauss (bass)
Producer: Jerry Douglas and Molly Tuttle, Engineer: Paul Blakemore, Sean Sullivan, Ethan Howard and Ryan Yount
[Notes]
Tuttle’s never-waste-a-note guitar picking propels this collection of instant bluegrass classics that careen lickety-split around the hills and valleys of high lonesome ballads and backwoods tales of mystery and murder. A bluegrass festival on a single album, Crooked Tree shimmers and shines with transporting harmonies, lilting fiddles, thrumming banjos, crystalline mandolins, scampering dobros, and driving guitars.

John Hartford: Gum Tree Canoe

Flying Fish – FF289

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 I'm Still Here (2:53)
A2 Way Down The River Road (2:17)
A3 Gum Tree Canoe (4:05)
A4 Your Long Journey (2:25)
A5 Jug Harris (2:24)
B1 Little Piece Of My Heart (3:11)
B2 Take Me Back To My Mississippi River Home (3:53)
B3 Lorena (4:44)
B4 Wrong Road Again (2:49)
B5 No Expectations (4:06)
[Credits]
John Hartford (banjo/guitar/fiddle/plywood/vocals) Sam Bush (mandolin) Roy Huskey (bass) Jack Clement (dobro/guitar/ukulele) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Mark Howard (guitar) Marty Stuart (mandolin) Kenny Malone (drums/percussion) Mark O'Connor (fiddle/guitar/mandolin) Billy Lee Riley (french harp) Richard Schulman (vocals) Jeannie Seely (vocals) Tommy Hannum (vocals)
[Notes]
Hartford's most even Flying Fish album, with equal measures of songwriting whimsy and expert musicianship, Gum Tree Canoe includes a number of tunes that would remain concert staples for the length of his career. From the relaxed stroll of the album's title track to a rendition of Doc Watson's "Your Long Journey" to an original breakneck bluegrass instrumental, "Jug Harris," there's not a clinker to be heard. Hartford's banjo playing is exceptional, as is the accompaniment provided by a host of fine country, bluegrass, and newgrass pickers, Roy Huskey, Jr., Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas among them. Riverboat tales, an R&B staple, and the Rolling Stones couldn't sound more at home together than they do on this fine album from one of roots music's genuine originals. Flying Fish's remastered CD, issued in 2001, includes two previously unreleased tunes and a short written tribute by Hartford String Band banjo player Bob Carlin.-- AllMusic Review by Brian Beatty

Lonesome River Band: Finding The Way

Sugar Hill Records – SHCD-3884

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Am I A Fool (2:35)
02 Love's Come Over Me (2:13)
03 Let It Go (3:57)
04 Cardboard Mansion (2:31)
05 Perfume, Powder And Lead (3:52)
06 Baby Come Home (2:39)
07 Another By My Side (2:44)
08 Don't Worry 'Bout Daddy (2:21)
09 Finding Your Way (3:24)
10 Up On The Shelf (2:12)
11 Better Days To Come (3:11)
12 Sweet Sally Brown (2:53)
13 Devil Chased Me Around The Stump (3:14)
[Credits]
Don Rigsby (mandolin/vocals) Kenny Smith (guitar/vocals) Sammy Shelor (banjo) Ronnie Bowman (bass/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Randy Howard (fiddle) Jason Carter (fiddle)
Producer: Jerry Douglas, Photographer: Will McIntyre and Charles Reilly, Designer: Sue Meyer, Engineers: Randy LeRoy, Ben Surratt and Brent Truitt
[Notes]
Certainly, the Lonesome River Band is one of the most significant proponents of traditional bluegrass music to canoe down any river in a long while. And Finding the Way is reflective of their status as a band of integrity and purpose. In every way -- musicianship, vocals, harmonies, performance and execution -- this is a solid outing. "Love's Come Over Me," an upbeat tune that highlights Sammy Shelor's banjo and the harmony vocals of Don Rigsby and Kenny Smith, recalls the best of the Louvins and the Stanleys. In fact, "Sweet Sally Brown," penned by Wandell M. Smith and Dr. Ralph Stanley, displays the intensity and talent of the Lonesome River Band in full bloom. They could very well stand side by side with Ralph and Carter Stanley. The Tommy Morse tune "Perfume, Powder and Lead" is filled with all the dark mystery that many classic bluegrass tunes are known for. Again, Rigsby and Smith provide the harmony vocals that make this performance so haunting. Jason Carter's fiddle underscores the moaning quality of a song sung high upon a hill into a dark, unknown holler as the protagonist reaches out to eternity. "Baby Come Home," "Another by My Side," "Don't Worry 'Bout Daddy," and "Up on the Shelf" are all high steppin', while "Finding Your Way" is a nod of the head to the softer side of bluegrass music. Ending with the traditional tune "Devil Chased Me Around the Stump" places this project among the finest in the annals of bluegrass history. Produced by Jerry Douglas, Finding the Way is a fine introduction to the Lonesome River Band or to the more contemporary forms of bluegrass music.-- AllMusic Review by Jana Pendragon

Down The Road: Bluegrass Songs Of Flatt And Scruggs

Rounder Select – CD 0345

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 I'll Never Shed Another Tear (3:00)
02 Down The Road (2:17)
03 Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky (2:50)
04 Is It Too Late Now? (2:41)
05 Your Love Is Like A Flower (2:58)
06 The Old Home Town (3:05)
07 Come Back Darlin' (2:28)
08 I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darlin' (2:35)
09 Somehow Tonight (3:04)
10 I'd Rather Be Alone (3:05)
11 Head Over Heels (2:34)
12 So Happy I'll Be (2:36)
[Credits]
Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Doyle Lawson (mandolin/tenor vocals) J.D. Crowe (banjo/baritone vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/baritone vocals) Bobby Hicks (fiddle) Todd Phillips (bass)
Producer: Anthony Rice, Liner Notes: Brad San Martin, Compiler: Louisa Hufstader, Designer: Scott Billington, Photographer: Rick Olivier, Engineer: David Glasser and Bill Wolf
[Notes]
The Bluegrass Album Band is a bluegrass supergroup consisting of A-list session players and established bandleaders who got together in the early '80s to record an album of straight-ahead bluegrass standards; the result was called simply The Bluegrass Album, and it was so popular that the same pickup group (in slightly changing configurations) made five more such recordings over the course of the next 15 years. This compilation focuses on their renditions of songs either written or made famous by the great Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, known to most Americans as the composers and performers of the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies. Led by the rich voice and powerful guitar playing of Tony Rice, the Bluegrass Album Band never sound less than completely tight and assured, and on timeless material like "The Old Home Town," "I'll Never Shed Another Tear," and the charming novelty tune "Head Over Heels," their affection for their illustrious musical forebears is both obvious and infectious. J.D. Crowe's banjo playing, which in other contexts can get a bit adventurous, here pays explicit tribute to the metronomic solidity of the classic Scruggs sound, and Bobby Hicks' fiddling is similarly old school. The Bluegrass Album Band's full-length albums are a better value for your money (this collection is offered at mid-price, but contains only a half-hour of music), but there's no denying the consistently high quality of the music on this one.-- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

Tim O'Brien: Traveler

Howdy Skies Records – SUG-CD-3978

Format: CD, HDCD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Kelly Joe's Shoes (03:33)
02 I've Endured (03:29)
03 Turn the Page Again (03:43)
04 Let Love Take You Back Again (04:21)
05 Restless Spirit Wandering (05:03)
06 Another Day (04:20)
07 On the Outside Looking In (04:07)
08 Forty-Nine Keep on Talkin' (03:27)
09 Family History (04:29)
10 Fell into Her Deep Blue Eyes (05:05)
11 Travelers (04:39)
12 Less & Less (03:25)
[Credits]
Tim O'Brien (mandolin/guitar/bouzouki/vocals) Dirk Powell (accordion/banjo/bass) John Doyle (guitar/bouzouki) Ray Bonneville (harmonica/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Béla Fleck (banjo) Casey Driessen (fiddle) Kenny Malone (percussion) Dennis Crouch (bass) Edgar Meyer (bass) Darrell Scott (vocals) Jon Randall Stewart (vocals) Jonell Mosser (vocals)
[Notes]
Traveler arrives like some horseman from the dusty past. His news is blunt, if not apocalyptic, with warnings that the future promises only "rotting flesh and broken bone." His chaps are stained with blood shed during the Civil War, and the trail he's followed from then until now runs alongside the Mississippi before melting into "a road without end" that winds back toward where our memories began. O'Brien lays all this out with help from some impressive players, but even the often incendiary Béla Fleck joins with them in toning down the fireworks and creating evocative settings through the most minimal gestures -- a slow-motion guitar arpeggio, a keening fiddle, a note here or there to complement O'Brien's relaxed delivery. It's significant, perhaps, that the album opens with "Kelly Joe's Shoes," an ode to a pair of beat-up sneakers that gave O'Brien some pretty good mileage, and ends with "Less & Less," which celebrates the joys of moving through life with as little baggage as possible. From music through message, Traveler just about gets it right.-- AllMusic Review by Robert L. Doerschuk

Alison Krauss + Union Station Live

Rounder Records 11661-0515-2

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
Disk One
01 Let Me Touch You for Awhile (3:45)
02 Choctaw Hayride (3:25)
03 The Lucky One (3:40)
04 Baby, Now That I've Found You (5:02)
05 Bright Sunny South (3:07)
06 Every Time You Say Goodbye (3:04)
07 Tiny Broken Heart (3:08)
08 Cluck Old Hen (2:47)
09 Stay (3:16)
10 Broadway (3:57)
11 Ghost in This House (4:29)
12 Forget About It (3:18)
13 Faraway Land (3:21)
Disc Two
01 A Tribute to Peador O'Donnell / Monkey Let the Hogs Out (4:58)
02 The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn (5:58)
03 Take Me for Longing (2:47)
04 I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (4:12)
05 Maybe (4:25)
06 We Hide & Seek (5:41)
07 But You Know I Love You (3:39)
08 When You Say Nothing at All (4:21)
09 New Favorite (4:00)
10 Oh, Atlanta (6:47)
11 Down to the River to Pray (2:10)
12 There Is a Reason (5:13)
[Credits]
Alison Krauss (fiddle/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Ron Block (guitar/banjo/vocals) Barry Bales (bass/vocals) Larry Atamanuik (drums)
[Notes]
Given Alison Krauss' tremendous popularity and her status as the first female bluegrass singer to cross over into genuine pop marketability, and given the fact that her guitarist, Dan Tyminski, is the voice behind "Man of Constant Sorrow" (or at least the version that served as an idée fixe in the blockbuster movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?), a live album was inevitable. That it should be a two-disc set can simply be chalked up to good luck. Unless you're a bluegrass purist, that is, looking for music that preserves the traditional Appalachian sounds of Ralph Stanley and Bill Monroe. Listeners of that mindset will be bitterly disappointed by the presence of modern singer/songwriter fare ("Lucky One," "Let Me Touch You for a While"), by the drums on "Oh, Atlanta," and, most of all, by those dreadful call-and-response vocals on the chorus of "Man of Constant Sorrow" (which, you can hear them sniff, Tyminski takes at about twice the appropriate speed). All of this would explain why bluegrass purists are no fun to be around and, one suspects, don't have very much fun in private either. The simple fact is that every time Krauss opens her mouth to sing, angels stop what they're doing and take notes. There may be no musical pleasure quite as pure and sweet as listening to Krauss sing "Baby, Now That I've Found You" or "When You Say Nothing at All." And when she starts in on the impossibly beautiful gospel tune "Down to the River to Pray," the effect is almost disturbingly moving. Which brings listeners to the problem with this album, which is the amount of time it spends on stuff other than Alison Krauss singing great songs. The instrumental bits, the Jerry Douglas showcases, and Tyminski's requisite rendition of "Man of Constant Sorrow" are all fine, but they end up feeling like filler. Still, this album can be solidly recommended to modern bluegrass fans in general and to Krauss' many fans in particular. -- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

Tony Rice: Plays And Sings Bluegrass

Rounder Records – CD 0253

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 I've Waited As Long As I Can (2:58)
02 Brown Mountain Light (3:40)
03 How Mountain Girls Can Love (2:26)
04 Carolina Star (3:09)
05 Thunderclouds Of Love (2:50)
06 On And On (3:04)
07 This Morning At Nine (2:18)
08 I Wonder Where You Are Tonight (3:12)
09 Galveston Flood (3:28)
10 Will You Be Loving Another Man (3:01)
11 Girl From The North Country (4:19)
12 Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone (2:50)
13 I'll Stay Around (3:21)
[Credits]
Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Bill Emerson (banjo/tenor vocals/baritone vocals) Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin/baritone vocals) John Duffey (mandolin/tenor vocals) and Larry Rice (tenor vocals) Sam Bush (mandolin/baritone vocals) Mike Auldridge (mandolin/dobro/baritone vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Vassar Clements (fiddle) Mark Schatz (bass) Producers: Bill Wolf and Anthony Rice, Photographer: Tim Talley, Engineer: David Glasser
[Notes]
Tony Rice, one of the most innovative guitarists to emerge from the "third generation" of bluegrass musicians, returns to his roots on TONY RICE PLAYS AND SINGS BLUEGRASS, his first real bluegrass album since 1977. This collection of classics, mostly from the '50s and '60s, is given an exuberant reading by Rice and his band of bluegrass veterans. Rice's lead vocals evoke the "high lonesome" sound of Bill Monroe. His guitar work is stunning in its attack, rhythmic intensity, and choice of notes--his solo on Lester Flatt's "I'll Stay Around" twists and turns, hits a few pungent blue notes, and is gone, all in eight bars, while the guitar break on "Thunderclouds of Love" explodes in a flurry of notes and slurred jazz chords. Dobro star Jerry Douglas adds his unmistakable fluid touch. Bill Emerson, a founding member of the Country Gentlemen, is on hand to play some hellified banjo and to pass the torch. Balancing respect for tradition with modern virtuosity and willingness to take risks, TONY RICE PLAYS AND SINGS BLUEGRASS is about as good as it gets. -- AllMusic Review by AllMusic

Will The Circle Be Unbroken Volume Two: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Universal Records UVLD-12500

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Rock, Bluegrass
[Tracklis]
01 Life's Railway To Heaven: Johnny Cash (4:21)
02 Grandpa Was A Carpenter: Jimmy Ibbotson (3:10)
03 When I Get My Rewards: Levon Helm (4:26)
04 Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan / John Cowan (3:32)
05 Little Mountain Church House: Ricky Skaggs (3:32)
06 And So It Goes: John Denver (3:33)
07 When It's Gone: Jimmy Ibbotson (2:33)
08 Mary Danced With Soldiers: Emmylou Harris (2:57)
09 Riding Alone: Emmylou Harris (2:34)
10 I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World: Jimmy Martin (3:07)
11 Lovin' On The Side: Paulette Carson (2:56)
12 Lost River: Bob Carpenter (3:11)
13 Bayou Jubilee: Sam Bush (2:52)
14 Blues Berry Hill: Instrument (3:10)
15 Turn Of The Century: Jimmy Ibbotson / Jeff Hanna / Bob Carpenter (3:38)
16 One Step Over The Line: Rosanne Cash (4:20)
17 You Ain't Going Nowhere: Roger McGuinn / Chris Hillman (3:37)
18 The Valley Road: Bruce Hornsby (4:03)
19 Will The Circle Be Unbroken: Johnny Cash and legends (4:47)
20 Amazing Grace: Instrument (1:48)
[Credits]
Johnny Cash (guitar/vocals) John Prine (guitar/vocals) Levon Helm (mandolin/vocals) John Cowan (vocals) Sam Bush (mandolin/fiddle/vocals) Pat Flynn (guitar/vocals) Ricky Skaggs (guitar/vocals) John Denver (vocals) Emmylou Harris (guitar/vocals) Jimmy Martin (guitar/vocals) Paulette Carlson (vocals) Michael Martin Murphey (guitar/vocals) Rosanne Cash (vocals) John Hiatt (vocals) Roger McGuinn (guitar/vocals) Chris Hillman (guitar/vocals) Bruce Hornsby (piano/vocals) Roy Acuff (vocals) Earl Scruggs (banjo) Vassar Clements (fiddle) Jerry Douglas (doblo) Bela Fleck (banjo) Mark O'Connor (fiddle/mandolin/mandola) Randy Scruggs (guitar) Chet Atkins (guitar) Roy Huskey, Jr. (bass) Buck White (piano) Bernie Leadon (banjo)
NGDB: Bob Carpenter (accordion/piano/vocals) Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica) Jeff Hanna (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Jimmy Ibbotson (mandolin/accordion/vocals) John McEuen (banjo)
[Notes]
This easily won the Country Music Association's Album of the Year Award, thanks to a stellar cast that includes John Denver, Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs, Chris Hillman, Roger McGuinn, Rosanne Cash, Steve Wariner, Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins...you get the message. Tracks were all recorded in one "take," with no overdubs, making the outstanding musicianship particularly noteworthy. Atheists beware: there's a lot of gospel. -- AllMusic Review by Tom Roland

Barbara Lamb: Fiddle Fatale

Sugar Hill Record SH-CD-3810

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Country Swing
[Tracklist]
01 Sally Goodin (3:36)
02 Panhandle Rag (4:29)
03 A Good Woman's Love (4:28)
04 Paddy On The Turnpike / Gone Again (3:41)
05 Montana Glide (4:17)
06 Herman's Hornpipe (3:20)
07 So What (4:02)
08 Foster's Reel (4:07)
09 Old French Reel (2:15)
10 I'll Never Be Free ( 3:45)
11 Katy Hill (2:56)
12 Princess Angeline Cafe (3:39)
13 Ducks On The Millpond (Ducks With Bongos) (3:59)
[Credits]
Barbara Lamb (fiddle/vocals) Tim O'Brien (bouzouki/mandolin/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Sam Bush (mandolin) Tony Trischka (banjo) David Keenan, Jo Miler and Scott Nygaard (guitar) Nova Devonie (accordion) Pete Wasner (piano) Nancy Katz, Ed Gately and Mark Winchester (bass) Joe Craven (percussion) Ben Holmes (drums)
Producer: Tim O'Brien, Engineers: Randy Best, Kevin Clock, Jay Follette, David Glasser and Michael Lord
[Notes]
This was fiddler Barbara Lamb's declaration of independence upon her departure from Ranch Romance, an (almost) all-woman retro country swing outfit that had recorded several very fine albums for the Sugar Hill label. Her former bandmates join her here on several tracks that could have easily been included on a Ranch Romance album, including a debonair rendition of the Texas swing classic "Panhandle Rag" and a charming Tex-Mex number titled "So What." Elsewhere on the program she returns to her bluegrass roots, accompanied by banjoist Tony Trischka, guitarist Scott Nygaard, and mandolinist Sam Bush, among others. The program opens with a burning performance of "Sally Goodin," and it also includes a great fiddle and banjo arrangement of "Katy Hill" and a cute fiddle-and-bongo arrangement of "Ducks on the Millpond." She also gets good and countrified in collaboration with Tim O'Brien on "A Good Woman's Love" and on a slow waltz entitled "Montana Glide." The variety works very well; this is an excellent album. (AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson)

The Jerry Douglas Band: What If

Rounder Records 1166100233

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: September 22, 2017
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Cavebop (4:51)
A2 What If (6:46)
A3 2:19 (4:09)
A4 Freemantle (4:28)
A5 The Last Wild Moor (4:39)
B1 Battle Stick (4:49)
B2 Hey Joe (4:19)
B3 Unfolding (7:14)
B4 Butcher Boy (4:34)
B5 Go Ahead And Leave (3:11)
[Credits]
Jerry Douglas (dobro/steel guitar/vocals) Christian Sedelmyer (fiddle) Mike Seal (guitar) Jamel Mitchell (saxophone) Vance Thompson (trumpet) Doug Belote (drums) Daniel Kimbro (bass)
Producer: Jerry Douglas, Booking: Brian Jonas, Frank Riley & High Road Touring, Designer: Jimmy Hole, Photographer: Patrick Sheehan, Engineer: Paul Blakemore, William Sean Sullivan, Chris Taylor & Daniel Davis
[Notes]
Throughout the album's 10-tracks, What If decisively merges jazz inclinations with the bluegrass, country, blues, swing, rock, and soul that Douglas spent his life absorbing and performing, forging a sound that flies beyond the boundaries of anything he–or anyone else–has done before. Assisted by Chris Taylor and Daniel Davis at Southern Ground Studios.

Paper Airplane: Alison Krauss & Union Station

Rounder Records 11661-0665-1

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 2011
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Paper Airplane (3:36)
A2 Dust Bowl Children (3:06)
A3 Lie Awake (3:55)
A4 Lay My Burden Down (3:52)
A5 My Love Follows You Where You Go (4:03)
A6 Dimming Of The Day (5:20)
B1 On The Outside Looking In (3:35)
B2 Miles To Go (2:54)
B3 Sinking Stone (4:42)
B4 Bonita And Bill Butler (4:03)
B5 My Opening Farewell (4:09)
[Credits]
Alison Krauss (fiddle/vocals) Dan Tyminski (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Ron Block (banjo/guitar) Barry Bales (bass/vocals)
Producer: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Photographer: Randee St. Nicholas, Designer: Meat And Potatoes, Inc., Engineers: Neal Cappellino, Kyle Ford, Ted Wheeler, Tom Freitag, Mike Shipley & Brian Wohlgemuth
[Notes]
Paper Airplane is an album by Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was released on April 12, 2011 and marks Krauss's 14th album and her first release with Union Station since Lonely Runs Both Ways in 2004. It includes cover versions of "My Opening Farewell" and "Dimming of the Day", which were originally recorded by Jackson Browne and Richard Thompson, respectively.

Rattle & Roar: The Earls Of Leicester

Rounder Records CD 1166100002

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 2016
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 The Train That Carried My Girl From Town
A2 Why Did You Wander?
A3 All I Want Is You
A4 Steel Guitar Blues Intro
A5 Steel Guitar Blues
A6 You Can Feel It In Your Soul
A7 A Faded Red Ribbon
A8 Just Ain't
A9 Mother Prays Loud In Her Sleep
B1 I'm Working On A Road (To Glory Land)
B2 Will You Be Lonesome Too?
B3 Flint Hill Special
B4 What's Good For You (Should Be Alright For Me)
B5 The Girl I Love Don't Pay Me No Mind
B6 Branded Wherever I Go
B7 Buck Creek Gal
B8 Pray For The Boy
[Credits]
Jerry Douglas (dobro/vocals) Shawn Camp (guitar/vocals) Johnny Warren (fiddle/vocals) Charlie Cushman (banjo/guitar) Jeff White (mandolin/vocals) Barry Bales (bass/vocals) Dan Auerbach (drums)
Liner Notes: Thomas Goldsmith, Photography: Anthony Scarlati, Design: Jimmy Hole, Mixing Engineer: David Ferguson, Mastering: David Glasser
[Notes]
The Earls of Leicester have discovered a kind of magic that, when harnessed, allows moments once relegated to memories to roar back to life. Old sounds rattle loose chains of space and time that have kept us from forgotten joys and who we once were. Suddenly, as we listen to and watch the Earls pick, saw, and croon, instead of contemplating once upon a time, we are living it. With their second album Rattle & Roar (Rounder Records), the Earls have conjured up a fresh batch of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs songs, delivered with their Grammy-winning signature blend of homage, virtuosity, and perspective. The inimitable Jerry Douglas (14-time Grammy-winner) remains the band’s producer and hypnotic Dobroist; blue-ribbon songwriter, singer, and producer Shawn Camp (Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton) still soars on lead vocals and guitar; revered multi-instrumentalist and sideman Jeff White (Vince Gill, Loretta Lynn) now deftly handles high harmony and mandolin; ace Nashville banjoist Charlie Cushman (Jimmy Martin, Mel Tillis) tackles banjo and guitars; topflight musician Johnny Warren (son of Foggy Mountain Boys’ Paul Warren) cuts in radiantly on fiddle; and the esteemed Barry Bales (Alison Krauss & Union Station) holds magnificently steady on vocals and bass. To capture the feel of a live show, Rattle & Roar was recorded in one room, with all of the band members around mics, no separation between them. The result pulses with impish joy, uniquely showcasing artists at the top of their game as they delight in their work not just as creators, but also as fans struck with childlike awe.

Dolly Parton: The Grass Is Blue

Sugar Hill Record SUG-CD-3900

Format: CD, Album
Country: United States
Released:1999
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Travelin' Prayer (4:15)
02 Cash On The Barrelhead (3:07)
03 A Few Old Memories 4:01
04 I'm Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open (3:04)
05 Steady As The Rain (3:04)
06 I Still Miss Someone (3:37)
07 Endless Stream Of Tears (2:39)
08 Silver Dagger (4:54)
09 Train, Train (2:49)
10 I Wonder Where You Are Tonight (3:13)
11 Will He Be Waiting For Me (3:25)
12 The Grass Is Blue (3:43)
13 I Am Ready (2:44)
[Credits]
Dolly Parton (vocals) Jim Mills (banjo) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Stuart Duncan (fiddle) Bryan Sutton (guitar) Sam Bush (mandolin) Barry Bales (bass)
Designer: Sue Meyer Design, Musical Director: Jerry Douglas, Engineer: Chuck Turner and Toby Seay, Photographer: Dennis Carney, Producer: Steve Buckingham
[Notes
The Grass is Blue is a bluegrass album by Dolly Parton, released on October 25, 1999 on the Sugar Hill label. It is her 35th studio album. In addition to rejuvenating Parton's career, the album, along with the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack and the work of Alison Krauss, is credited with making bluegrass a hugely popular musical genre during the early 2000s. Though the album received little airplay on mainstream country radio, it sold well (peaking at number 24 on the U.S. country albums charts), and was among the most critically acclaimed albums of Parton's career. The album was listed on many critics' year-end "best of" lists and won a 2001 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. The songs included a mixture of Parton originals and folk and bluegrass standards, as well as a Billy Joel cover. "Silver Dagger", a late nineteenth century ballad, had been popularized by Joan Baez during the early 1960s. Norah Jones would later record the title song on a 2003 Parton tribute album. Parton had originally written "Steady as the Rain" for her younger sister Stella Parton, who had a top-forty country hit with the song in 1979. "Will He be Waiting for Me" is an update of a song which originally appeared on Parton's 1972 album Touch Your Woman. The album also includes an acoustic cover version of the Southern rock band Blackfoot song "Train, Train".

Emmylou Harris: Roses in the Snow

Warner Bros. Records BSK-3422

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1980
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Roses In The Snow (2:32)
A2 Wayfaring Stranger (3:26)
A3 Green Pastures (3:08)
A4 The Boxer (3:16)
A5 Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn (3:22)
B1 I'll Go Stepping Too (2:16)
B2 You're Learning (2:57)
B3 Jordan (2:07)
B4 Miss The Mississippi (3:40)
B5 Gold Watch And Chain (3:12)
[Credits]
Emmylou Harris (guitar/vocals) Ricky Skaggs (banjo/guitar/mandolin/fiddle/vocals) Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Buck White (keyboards/piano/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/guitar) Bryan Bowers (autoharp) Albert Lee (mandolin) John Ware (drums/percussion) Emory Gordy (bass) Brian Ahern and Willie Nelson (guitars) Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Sharon White & The Whites (vocals)
Arranger & Producer: Brian Ahern, Design & Photographer: Tom Wilkes, Engineer: Brian Ahern, Donivan Cowart & Stuart Taylor
[Notes]
Recorded in The Enactron Truck (July 1979). Mixed in Enactron Studio Two. Combining acoustic bluegrass with traditional Appalachian melodies (and tossing one contemporary tune, Paul Simon's "The Boxer," into the mix), Roses in the Snow ranks among Emmylou Harris' riskiest -- and most satisfying -- gambits. (AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny)

Old Home Place: J.D. Crowe & The New South

Trio Records PA-3072

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Japan
Released: 1975
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Old Home Place (2:42)
A2 Some Old Day (2:25)
A3 Rock Salt & Nails (2:58)
A4 Sally Goodin (3:11)
A5 Ten Degrees 2:13
B1 Nashville Blues (3:23)
B2 You Are What I Am (2:17)
B3 Summer Wages (4:21)
B4 I'm Walkin' (2:05)
B5 Home Sweet Home Revisited (3:17)
B6 Crying Holy (2:11)
[Credits]
J.D. Crowe (banjo/baritone vocals) Tony Rice (guitar/lead vocals) Ricky Skaggs (mandolin/fiddle/viola/tenor vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Bobby Slone (bass/fiddle)
Liner Notes: John Hartford, Photography: John Duvall
[Notes]
Reacorded at Track Recorders, Silver Springs, Md. in Janualy 1975
[Other Versions]
Rounder Records 0044 (1975)

The Earls of Leicester

Rounder UPC-888072361416

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: United States
Released: 2014
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Big Black Train (2:49)
A2 Don't let your deal go down (2:12)
A3 I'll Go Stepping Too (2:59)
A4 Shuckin' the Corn (2:07)
A5 'Til the End of the World Rolls 'Round (2:36)
A6 Dig a Hole In the Meadow (2:21)
A7 Some Old Day (3:43)
B1 I Won't Be Hanging Around (2:11)
B2 I Don't Care Anymore (2:37)
B3 On My Mind (2:46)1.29
B4 You're Not a Drop in the Bucket (2:27)
B5 Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (3:14)
B6 The Wandering Boy (2:40)
B7 Who Will Sing For Me (2:32)
[Credits]
Jerry Douglas (dobro) Shawn Camp (guitar/vocals) Johnny Warren (fiddle/vocals) Charlie Cushman (banjo/guitar) Barry Bales (bass/vocals) Tim O'Brien (mandolin/vocals)
[Notes]
The Earls of Leicester is a bluegrass group assembled by Jerry Douglas to present the music of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and their band the Foggy Mountain Boys to a contemporary audience. This self-titled debut album earned a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2015.

Tony Rice: California Autumn

Seven Seas GFX-6008

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: Japan
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 California Autumn
A2 Bullet Man
A3 Mr. Poverty
A4 Billy In The Low Ground
A5 Red Haired Boy
A6 Good Woman's Love
B1 You Don't Know My Mind
B2 Alone And Forsaken
B3 Bugle Call Rag
B4 Georgia On My Mind
B5 Scarborough Fair
B6 Beaumont Rag
[Credits]
Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Tom Gray (bass) Mike Auldridge (dobro) Larry Rice (mandolin) Ben Eldridge (banjo) Ricky Skaggs (fiddle/viola/mandolin) John Starling (guitar) J.D. Crowe (banjo) Jerry Douglas (dobro)
[Notes]
Recorded at Track Recorders, Silver Spring, Maryland on September 1974
Licensed from Rebel Records, Manufactured by King Record Co. Ltd