Music Reviews

Paying tribute to Bill Monroe with a recording of his songs presents a different challenge than it would for any other musician I can think of. The prime mover behind the creation of bluegrass music, his output forms more of

Scott Holstein was born in Boone County, in the heart of the coalfields of West Virginia, and he has chosen that imagery for the title of his album, Cold Coal Town. His mother and father both played bluegrass Gospel music as far

Sometimes simple is best. But every once in a while, you crave something with a little spice or some frills. I’m stuck with that craving after repeated listenings to Missy Werner’s latest project, Three Kinds of Lonesome. It’s a solid effort

It’s a “Prime Tyme” to be a fan of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. Having been around for twenty plus years, many groups of this caliber would start to slow down. They’ve won nearly every award imaginable in our

Another example of how much technology has benefitted the recent generation of aspiring musicians is on display in the new CD release of North Carolina group Mountain Faith, titled Save Me. Early bluegrass musicians learned through years of trial and error, relying primarily on

When I first opened the Snyder Family Band's new CD, titled Stages, before reading the CD jacket and listening to the title cut, the first thought that crossed my mind is that a family band which starts when the children are so

Boston area quartet Three Tall Pines, has just released their second project entitled All That’s Left. It was produced by Avi Salloway and Charlie Rose. They have also enlisted the help of  their friends from Della Mae, Hey Mama, Billy

Over the past several decades, the definition of bluegrass has continually expanded from its origins with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys. The new album Big Trouble from The Dang-It Bobbys, which hit shelves September 20th, further stretches that definition.

Unlike some of the "bandwagon" tribute recordings that it might be suspected are motivated by commercial appeal as much as a heartfelt desire to spotlight the subject of the tribute, John Bowman's new release, Family Chain, is a personal statement of

After listening to Darin & Brooke Aldridge's So Much In Between several times, the thing that most struck me is the many positive messages in their music. It's about love. And who better to sing about that than America's bluegrass sweethearts? What a breath