New Direction Bluegrass, a regional bluegrass band based out of Siler City, NC, has released a new Christmas project, Is It Christmas Yet? The four-piece ensemble features the husband-wife team of Bobby Gales on banjo/guitar and Christy Gales on upright bass, Brice Hursey on lead guitar, and Sara Walters on fiddle/guitar. The Gales’ adult son, Kendall, guests on mandolin and his instrumentation really stands out on the project. Vocal work is traded between the two senior Gales and Walters.
The self-produced project features ten holiday tunes (both religious and secular). Song selection includes seven vocals and three instrumentals. Careful attention has been devoted to arrangements.
Vocal numbers include traditional hymns, such as Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, where NDB seamlessly switches between harmony patterns, one of which emulates a classic Chuck Wagon Gang-style blend. The project additionally includes country classics like Alabama’s Christmas in Dixie and the Statler Brothers’ Who Do You Think. There is also a beautiful Harley Allen/Debbie Nims composition, The Angels Cried, where the band trades lead vocals.
A personal favorite is Pachelbel’s Canon (Canon in D), spotlighting Hursey’s beautiful guitar work. He masters multiple styles including flat and finger picking on the album. I might be slightly biased, since he played for our youngest daughter’s wedding a couple years ago, but it’s beautifully done. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Joy to the World are the other instrumentals that particularly highlight Bobby Gales’ banjo skills. Another impressive number is their take on Little Drummer Boy, with tight harmonies and toe-tapping percussion beats. You might find yourself singing the third part along with their duets.
New Direction Bluegrass also offers a strong version of Light of the Stable. Kendall’s mandolin and the band’s vocals are impressive, and resonate the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.
It is interesting how their current band configuration came into being and brought about their ministry through music.
Founding member, Bobby Gales, a retiree of UNC-CH where he served as Director of Athletic Facility Maintenance, shared a little personal history and faith. “This group came together by Divine intervention. We are so grateful that God orchestrated bringing this group together. Our goal has always been to honor God with our music.”
He elaborated on the band’s evolution. “I first started playing bluegrass gospel music back in 1996 with my two sons, Cameron and Kendall, as Gospel Grass, which became Mitzi Brooks & Gospel Grass, New Direction, and now New Direction Bluegrass.”
During a community theater group’s presentation of Smoke on the Mountain, Bobby and Charity met Sarah, their fiddler, when they played the parts of her parents in the production. That collaboration led to her joining the band. Brice, mentored by the band’s guitarist, Billy Mickle, who retired after 15 years, stepped in to fill his shoes.
Bobby concluded, “We have wanted to do a Christmas project for years, but God’s time and our pieces were just not right. We did this project in three days in the Rubber Room with Jerry Brown of Chapel Hill. We have been playing Little Drummer Boy, one of our favorites, at all of our gigs since last Christmas with great response. We pray God will use this album to bring much Christmas joy to families for years to come.”
Is It Christmas Yet? would be a nice addition to any Christmas bluegrass collection. It is an above average rendering of holiday numbers that conveys the true meaning of Christmas for those of us of the Christian faith. Harmonies are solid, all instruments are in tune, and the project is well-recorded. I will point out that the pronunciations in some of the vocals is a bit “proper,” lacking much of the “country/southern drawl” many of us expect from bluegrass singers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it just takes a bit of getting used to, and was forgotten by the second listening. Also, while the project contains some very advanced instrumentation there are also portions that are slightly understated, and while well-done, stick mainly to the basic melody. Overall, this is a good bluegrass/Christmas collection that we found ourselves playing repeatedly.
To order their CD or see their tour schedule, visit the New Direction Bluegrass website, and Is It Christmas Yet? is available for download on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
You can check out all the Christmas bluegrass we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.
