Midnight Hurricane is a solid debut album from Asher Brinson, the 16-year-old left-handed bluegrass guitarist and singer/songwriter from Newport, North Carolina. Available now, the self-produced collection is largely composed of original songs and an instrumental composed by Asher, alongside a couple of traditional tunes and a single cover.
Asher was immersed in music through his family, but has been serious about pursuing flat-pick guitar for only about three years, which makes his achievements even more impressive. He was set on this path by seeing Billy Strings live—it’s amazing to think that Billy was so recently a young prodigy himself, and now is already inspiring a new generation.
Legendary guitarist and luthier Wayne Henderson became a mentor and close friend (and maker of Asher’s left-handed D-18). Christopher Henry gave Asher lessons and encouraged him to write. Within weeks Asher had written seven songs and an instrumental, all of which are on the album.
It speaks well of the young man that although he clearly plays brilliantly enough to do it, he did not record a guitar show-off album, filled with nothing but flashy licks for their own sake. Everything here is carefully and tastefully arranged. The guitar work is always in service to the song and not the other way around. The songs feel like they were written from the heart and have something to say.
Also to his credit is the stellar array of musicians who gathered to be part of the album: the core band is Asher on guitar and lead vocals, Cory Walker on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Christopher Henry handling bass and mandolin. Then, there are the special guests: Sam Bush on three tracks, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Bronwyn, David Grier, and Lindsay Lou. Not too shabby!
The result is a very pleasant album that is easy on the ears. It has a traditional bluegrass sound, but with enough interesting chord changes and turns of phrase to keep things fresh. Just when you think you know where a line is headed, it will do something slightly unexpected—not crazy, but just different enough to keep you engaged.
Asher has a nice voice that is never overpowering. You might detect a touch of Harley Allen in the upper range, and perhaps a hint of Keith Whitley. His singing is best when he has the strongest material to work with, such as the title track and Lonesome Hobo Song, two of the most successful pieces of songwriting on the album.
He also delivers nice vocals on And Why Is That, the one non-bluegrass offering. A straight-ahead country song, it features Smith Curry on pedal steel.
Queen Anne’s Waltz is the original instrumental, with lonesome minor-key twin fiddling from Bronwyn and Jason. On the traditional numbers, Asher pays tribute to his heroes as he trades fancy licks with David Grier on Black Mountain Rag (carrying on Doc Watson’s North Carolina heritage) and grooves with Sam Bush on a version of Cattle in the Cane that sits squarely in the Tony Rice vein.
The sole cover is the 2024 Billy Strings hit, Seven Weeks in County. Asher does a beautiful job on a version that is faithful to the original, but it’s a bit unusual to re-record something so recent and closely associated with a major artist. This track and a couple of the original songs might have been edited in favor of a few more obscure, carefully chosen covers, and even a standard bluegrass song. At Asher’s age, it is wonderful to see him interested in writing, and as he grows in experience his writing will only become more consistent.
Asher Brinson is already mature beyond his years, and it will be fun to watch him further develop his potential. Give Midnight Hurricane a listen; I think you will enjoy it.
