Knoxville, TN-based bassist Matt Wallace has spent most of his career as a sideman, supporting such artists as Paul Williams, Audie Blaylock, David Parmley, and Terry Baucom, among others. After a fine solo debut back in 2014, Wallace is back to head up another album – Close the Door Lightly from Huckleberry Records. With support from many of bluegrass music’s greats, this is a top-notch record that deserves plenty of airplay.
Wallace has released several singles in anticipation of the album’s release, including a cover of the Bluegrass Cardinals’ classic, Back Away. Ron Stewart’s banjo is a highlight of this track, with a bouncy opening and strong backing throughout. It’s a fun, solidly traditional song that does the Cardinals proud. Another early single was Midnight Fire, an update of the Steve Wariner track from the 1980s. Stewart’s banjo again guides the song, helping add a driving rhythm to the tale of a couple who knows they shouldn’t be together, but find each other hard to resist. Wallace sings lead on both of these songs, offering even, straightforward vocals that fit the songs well.
Another Steve Wariner song gets the bluegrass treatment on Where Did I Go Wrong. It finds the singer lamenting the loss of a woman who he didn’t give quite enough attention. “I know I’d won the battle, if I’d known there was a fight.” It’s a great addition to the “sad songs that sound happy” bluegrass collection, with Jeff Partin’s dobro particularly of note. Similarly bright-sounding is Love Reunited, originally from the Desert Rose Band. Jonathan Maness offers smooth lead vocals, while solos from Brian Stephens and Alex HIbbitts on mandolin are standouts.
Several of the songs here veer into classic country territory. The steel opening from Sydney Spiva on Once More sweeps the listener straight to the 1960s, ushering in perfect harmonies from Don Rigsby (lead), Darren Nicholson (baritone), and Wallace (low tenor). Rigsby is one of the best high leads in modern bluegrass, and he hits every note spot-on here. Please Search Your Heart is recorded in a similar style, with Tim Crouch’s fiddle complementing the steel guitar nicely. Wallace’s lead vocals here are excellent, filled with emotion as he begs, “Please search your heart, don’t tell me goodbye.”
Alex Hibbitts contributes mandolin and harmonies throughout the album, but also wrote of the strongest songs here – opening track Hills I Used to Roam. Co-written by Hibbitts and Ben Poteat, this track could serve as a master class in how modern traditional bluegrass should sound. The song tells a fairly simple story – the singer misses his home and the girl he left there – but everything just seems to click to make this a standout track, particularly the soulful lead vocals from Blue Highway’s Wayne Taylor, and Tony Rice-inspired lead and rhythm guitar from Brian Stephens.
Wallace has given listeners plenty of good stuff here, particularly for those who enjoy the melding of traditional bluegrass and classic country. Banjo fans will also have many bright spots throughout the album, because Ron Stewart’s picking is simply the meanest. For those who haven’t heard of Wallace, or perhaps just think of him as a solid bass man, Close the Door Lightly is excellent evidence to prove his many bluegrass strengths.
