Dailey & Vincent are back – in a big way.
The much-honored and incredibly talented duo will release their newest project, The Gospel Side of Dailey and Vincent on Monday. Like their chart-topping, Grammy nominated Dailey & Vincent Sing the Statler Brothers, this CD will be sold exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores.
I got an early listen to four of the 12 tracks, and they are superb. If the rest of the album lives up to what I heard – and there’s no reason to expect anything less from Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent – great things are in store this year for the band, and for bluegrass.
Jamie told me he and Darrin decided to dip into all facets of gospel music for this record – bluegrass, contemporary Christian and Southern gospel. “Our crowds are becoming more diversified,” he said. “We have country classic fans, bluegrass fans and Southern Gospel fans.” Deciding on a record that reaches out to all of them some of the time is something of a risk, Jamie acknowledged, because “not everybody will be happy with all the decisions we made.”
But he also said an all-Gospel project might help bring more people to bluegrass. “I think we’ll reach some Gospel fans who don’t usually listen to our secular stuff.”
He said the relationship with Cracker Barrel also boosts the bluegrass genre. “It’s a good relationship with Cracker Barrel,” he said. “They’ve helped bluegrass in a lot of ways, and I think that’s great.”
Jamie and Darrin have always been open about their faith, and this record is in keeping with their willingness to spread the Word. “Darrin and I are just folks,” Jamie said. “We’re sinners saved by grace. We’re just beggers trying to tell other beggers where the food is.”
He added: “If you’re looking for perfection in us, you’re not going to find it.”
Maybe not, but if the four songs I heard are representative of The Gospel Side, Dailey & Vincent are getting pretty close to perfection, at least musically.
The guys are also pretty humble, despite wild success that includes three entertainer of the year awards from IBMA. “We know it can all go down as quick as it went up,” Jamie told me, echoing a sentiment I’ve heard many times from both of them.
The band will kickstart the album release with appearances at select Cracker Barrels, then hit the road for a full-scale tour. They’re heavily booked into May already and are working to fill out the rest of the year. The band’s goal is 125 dates. They’re also shooting for 20 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry – five more than they made last year.
Not a Gospel fan? Jamie offered some good news for you, too.
Dailey & Vincent’s next project, he promised, will be “a hardcore, straight-ahead bluegrass record.”