Music Reviews

One of – if not the – most anticipated albums of the past year was the return of Hot Rize after twenty-odd years with When I’m Free. Since its release in late 2014, the group has embarked upon a popular

Alex Hibbitts’ Depression Lies Studio in Sevierville, TN is quickly becoming a go-to spot for up-and-coming bluegrass artists whose music leans toward the popular country-tinged modern traditional style. Recent solo projects by Matt Wallace, Cody Shuler, and Hibbitts himself were

Laura Orshaw might be the busiest bluegrass fiddler in Boston, Massachusetts. The Pennsylvania native performs with five different bands in and around Beantown - including her own New Velvet Band - and seems to fill in from time to time

Winning the award for unique traditional music band name of the month is Wisconsin-based duo The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. Nikki Grossman and Joe Hart bill themselves as “a brand-new take on old-time country,” and their newest release, a twelve song (plus

When Chris Stapleton left the SteelDrivers a few years back, I was skeptical that the band could recapture the magic with someone else in front of the microphone. His let-it-all-hang-out style defined the band and made its recordings instantly recognizable. So

This review is a contribution from Ivor Trueman. Italy’s Ruben & Matt and The Truffle Valley Boys, play 1950’s style bluegrass, and they pretty much replicate the original bluegrass ‘sound’ and ‘look’ perfectly. On stage they perform in hats and ties, sharply dressed in

Bluegrass fans may recognize the name Stacy Grubb from her work with the Clay Hess Band, including a popular tour several years ago, or perhaps from her husband’s bluegrass management and booking service, Jason Grubb Artist Management. Though Grubb’s first

It's a bluegrass Gospel CD... It's a Southern Gospel CD... It's two CDs in one! That was my reaction after giving a thorough listen to Feller & Hill's new release, I Firmly Promise You. The guys clearly have one foot firmly

Bryson City, North Carolina’s Cody Shuler first made his mark in bluegrass with traditionally-based band Pine Mountain Railroad, although his earliest experience was playing mandolin for Raymond Fairchild at the age of 15. His most recent release, a self-titled album

Had you been thinking, "I wonder what happened to Gold Heart?" I know I had when I ran into them at the IBMA's World Of Bluegrass convention last September in Raleigh. Tori Gold, the eldest of the three singing Gold sisters