Music Reviews

It’s time for the annual challenge: Picking my "dozen" favorite bluegrass recordings for the previous year. First, the usual cautions. This list is obviously very subjective, just one guy's opinion. The list represents my favorites, not necessarily the best. And it's

Based in Portland, Oregon, Never Come Down are an astute outfit that weave a multi-textured dimension to their grassicana motif. There's a great deal of depth to their approach, one that finds them blending the nominal instrumental elements of traditional

There's something to be said for subtlety, even when it appears to substitute for flash and finesse. After all, it's often not a matter of how much music is thrown into the mix, but rather how it's applied. R. Wesley Carr

After Tony Rice died a year ago on Christmas Day, jam band master Barry Waldrep and music management ace Brian Smith had an idea for a tribute. It was, at the start, a relatively modest plan: Put out Me and My

Mel Bay has a new tune book in their Mandolin Picking Tunes series, one titled Celtic Gems, written by Tommy Norris. This slim 52-page volume contains 30 traditional fiddle tunes, plus 2 by Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan and 1 by Bill

Some CDs are just meant to be played in front of a cozy fire on a wintry evening, when the listener has time to settle down and sink into the music. Small Town Dreamer, the second Pinecastle release from Daryl

Coming on the heels of last year's excellent Rise & Fly, The Barefoot Movement's aptly titled Pressing Onward sums up the dynamic and drive consistently demonstrated by this effusive young combo who merge bluegrass and old time music with contemporary

It’s not uncommon for music to be grouped into categories. Even within bluegrass and other genres of acoustic music, there tend to be multiple sub categories for different approaches such as progressive bluegrass, alternative country, and as of late, grassicana.

Jamie Hoover isn't usually a name associated with bluegrass. For most of his career, he's been somewhat akin to a power pop provocateur, having worked with Don Dixon, Marti Jones, the Spongetones, the Smithereens, Graham Parker, and other artists committed

Brayden Williamson, from Logan, West Virginia, is a young artist who at just eighteen years old already has three recorded projects under his belt. His latest, Brayden Plays All Instruments and Sings, is primarily a collection of songs by artists