Reviews

The new release from Circa Blue is accurately named. In A Darker Blue, this Northern Maryland trio puts the blues in bluegrass. The title gives a solid hint, of course. Further evidence comes from a glance through the titles of the

We've written before about Bennett Sullivan, a banjo player plying his trade in New York City, and his fine album of new banjo tunes, Lady Nora. In addition to performing in and around the Big Apple, Bennett is also a successful

Bluegrass music is often praised for its driving rhythm and fast, hot picking – particularly on the banjo. However, there’s another side to bluegrass ingenuity, often with a more laidback sound, that fully embraces bluegrass music’s connections to jazz and

Summer McMahan, the fiddle player and lead vocalist for western North Carolina Gospel group Mountain Faith, has recently branched out on her own to release her debut solo album. She’s joined by several of her Mountain Faith bandmates here, and

Some bluegrass folks are just meant to sing together. Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent. Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley. And a seemingly endless string of brothers, from the Delmores to the Gibsons. Add to that list Dave Adkins and Edgar

Bluegrass fans of a certain age, who were following the music during the 1970s, will surely recall the soulful music recorded by Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys throughout the decade, when Ralph returned to performing following Carter's untimely

It’s rare to find a musician, especially in the traditional music world, who wasn’t influenced by a parent or grandparent at a young age. For Charlsey Etheridge, a Georgia native who has recently released her debut album, one of those

We hear quite a bit about country crossover artists in the bluegrass world. Marty Raybon, for instance, has had successful careers in both genres, while Rhonda Vincent recently released a dual country and bluegrass album. Kristy Cox is one of

A new album from Tony Trischka is always big news in the banjo world. Since the 1970s he's been cranking out music to challenge 5 stringers and banjo fans alike, and reworking what can be expected from his instrument along

I wasn’t prepared for what happened the first time I hit play on Irene Kelley’s new CD, Pennsylvania Coal. I’ve known and admired her work as a songwriter and I knew from reading the liner notes that the picking would be