American roots music encompasses many different forms and ideas. While some artists generally specialize in one area, or in some cases dip their toe into multiple waters, it’s rare to have an ensemble that can jump from one branch of the tree to another so flawlessly. The Burnett Sisters Band’s latest release, Easy Come, Easy Go on Pinecastle Records, demonstrates their masterful combination of traditional bluegrass, classic country, and old time music.
Blaming You and Don’t Let Me Fall will definitely remind listeners of the Osborne Brothers’ recordings as they blend bluegrass instruments right alongside steel guitar and drums, which are played by Tony Dingus and John Gardner respectively. The former by Gailanne Admuson is a song about one’s acceptance of a romance ending, while the latter by band guitarist Geary Allen is a song about struggling to hold on in the midst of life’s circumstances. Along with Allen on guitar, banjo and vocals, the Burnett Sisters Band consists of Anissa Burnett on fiddle, guitar, bass and vocals, Anneli Burnett on mandolin, fiddle and vocals, and Sophia Burnett on bass, fiddle and vocals.
Fool’s Gold by Geary Allen provides a great example of Allen’s smooth, traditionally-oriented vocal stylings. The Minister, England native’s singing has a surprising authenticity to it. Along with demonstrating his songwriting abilities, this track also does a wonderful job showcasing the vocal blend he, Anneli, and Anissa have.
The two tracks that most exemplify the band’s old time prowess are the title track, Easy Come, Easy Go, and Julianne Johnson/Tie Your Dog, Sally Gal. The former by Allen demonstrates his ability to write contemporary lyrics within the old time idiom, while the latter is a medley of two traditional tunes that finely captures the group’s instrumentalism. The group is joined on this medley by mandolin master, Mike Compton, while Roy Andrade is featured playing clawhammer banjo on both tracks.
The final two selections, Song of the Mountains and Sorrow, Grief and Pain, have both done exceptionally well for the band as singles and were both written within the group. The former by Anneli and Geary is a gentle ballad evoking feelings of nostalgia and home. This track once again features John Gardner on drums as well as Lee Bidgood on mandola. The latter is a driving bluegrass piece with a captivating flamenco guitar style intro by Allen.
The Burnett Sisters Band have been garnering great recognition within the acoustic music community as of late. With the release of Easy Come, Easy Go it’s evident to see why. Not only can the group successfully blend different styles of traditional music, but they’re able to do it within an original framework, making for a rare combination worthy of our attention.
