Despite the corporate implications implied by their handle, Wilson Banjo Co is a decidedly organic ensemble, one that makes a point of instilling emotion and inspiration into the music they make. Granted, when banjo player and erstwhile engineer Steve Wilson founded the band ten years ago in an effort to promote his custom-made banjos, he had a clear commercial purpose in mind. Nevertheless, over the course of their collective career, Wilson Banjo Co has been responsible for some of the most evocative and engaging music within today’s contemporary bluegrass realms.
Not surprisingly then, the most immediate evidence of the band’s proclivity is found on the group’s current EP from Pinecastle Records, Lonely As It Gets. The musicians — Wilson, of course, on banjo and harmony vocals, bassist and harmony vocalist Jamie Carter, lead singer and guitarist Andrew Crawford, co-lead vocalist Brandi Colt, Adam Bachman on resonator guitar, mandolin player Darren Nicholson, percussionist Adam Plott, and harmony singer Kim Fox — add an emphatic energy and exuberance to each of the five songs, while also ensuring that they all stand out on their own.
That, in turn, allows the individual tracks to make some sort of singular statement. The affable and upbeat title track provides the initial indication. The song that follows, Black Wedding Dress, is similarly driven and determined, as befitting its title. So too, It Always Rains (When I’m Lonesome) and My Last Broken Heart are suitably emotive, each offering up feelings of desire and despair in ways one might expect given the names accorded those individual selections. Still, If You Don’t Climb the Mountain forms the centerpiece of the entire EP, a call to arms that encourages its listeners to strive for higher heights.
Even with the deeper sentiment that’s shared throughout, the music propels the pace with a jovial and jubilant sound, never allowing the melodies to hint at any tribulation that might be conveyed courtesy of mixed emotions. In the end, that makes Lonely As It Gets an ideal showcase for an outfit that never fails to embrace a populist appeal.
