Not much good came out of COVID-19, besides everyone learning to bake bread and use video meeting software. But now we can add another major benefit, the formation of Benson. Despite being married over 25 years, bluegrass instrumentalists Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson had not made the time to work together. Wayne was busy with Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, while Kristin’s band, The Grascals, kept her on the road and in the studio.
When the pandemic hit and everyone was holed up at home, the couple naturally started playing music together, and in 2023 released their duo project, Pick Your Poison. Happily, it was not a one-off, and it is now joined by Double Dose, a new album collecting their singles released over the past couple of years on Mountain Home Music, five of which have already reached the top ten on the Bluegrass Today charts.
Kristin has won IBMA Banjo Player of the Year six times and is the recipient of the Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo. Wayne is one of the few mandolin players to have his own signature model with Gibson Musical Instruments. You might then expect this duo to lean heavily on their considerable instrumental prowess, but instead they have carefully chosen lesser-heard songs from a variety of sources and matched each one to just the right singer. Their virtuosic picking is always there, but in a supporting role, more concerned with presenting the story of a song than with showing off hot licks.
The album starts off strong with the #1 hit Lover of the Road, featuring Woody Platt on lead vocals. Right behind it is Heath Williams’ take on Lay ‘Em Down, which started out as a Contemporary Christian Rock number, but sounds right at home as a bluegrass song.
Things Have Changed is a wonderful Harley Allen composition from the early ’80s, but you could mistake it for a missing track from the Keith Whitley era of the New South. It’s sung here by Dustin Pyrtle of IIIrd Tyme Out, who also does a great job on the hard-charging This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me, a deep cut from Dwight Yoakam’s classic Hillbilly Deluxe.
Traditional bluegrass is well-represented with a vocal version of Bully of the Town (Zack Arnold of Rhonda Vincent & the Rage on lead vocals), while Down that Road has a more modern country feel. It was written by Becky Buller and Nashville songwriter Andrew Scott Wills, with Keith Garrett (Boxcars, Blue Moon Rising) handling the lead singing.
Keith also sings lead on Louise, made famous by Bonnie Raitt, and again, the ensemble does a great job of capturing the feel of those old J.D. Crowe & the New South recordings.
Wayne contributes three original instrumentals: the foreboding Donner Pass, an uptempo Banjo Radio Bounce, and Slayton Court, a sweet way to close the album. Each of the tunes has a distinct personality, but they all show Wayne’s devotion to beautiful and well-crafted melodies.
Most of the tracks feature Cody Kilby on guitar and Kevin McKinnon on bass, with Tony Creasman adding tasteful percussion on a few. Samantha Snyder fiddles on two cuts, and Jon Stickley and Jon Weisberger each make an appearance. The album was beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered by Clay Miller at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.
As individuals, Wayne might be more drawn to progressive instrumental tunes and Kristin to traditional bluegrass “singing songs.” Double Dose combines the full range of their interests, showcases their many talented friends, and as with any successful couple, creates something greater than the sum of their parts.
