Hi Folks.
Many folks produce "best of" lists at the end of
the year, and there seems to be a lot of overlap in music, especially when so many of
the evaluators draw from the same well.
I've made it a goal in my musical endeavors to dig deeper and unearth jewels that might have been overlooked, and I enjoy
presenting those recordings, both new and classic, on various radio programs
that I produce at WHUS.
The following list, in no particular order, represents my
opinion of some of the best new bluegrass albums to be released in 2016 outside
of the mainstream. I encourage you to
seek them out.
High Fidelity - High Fidelity - self-released
This album is a real sleeper. I might never have heard of it except for an
internet tip, and I am forever grateful to have found it. Jeremy Stephens (guitar), Corrina Rose
Logston (fiddle), Kurt Stephenson (banjo), Vickie Vaughn (bass), and Daniel
Amick (mandolin) combine
to create real bluegrass as it existed in the exciting early years of the genre. About half the songs are gospel, and all the
songs are as true to the early vision as possible. Jeremy is a well-known multi-instrumentalist
known for his excellent Reno banjo picking and his guitar picking with the
famous Chuck Wagon Gang. He picks guitar
on this album and recently announced his departure from the CWG to spend more time
on this kind of project. Corrina is a
superb young fiddler, and Kurt is amazing on the five. I can't wait to see what they do next.
Alex Leach - New Traditional - self-released
Of all the young folks getting into bluegrass in recent
history, very few have an authentic mountain sound like Alex Leach. His album "Mountain Heartache" from a few
years back was one of the best of that year, as is his follow on this
year. Alex is the regular banjo picker
with Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys and continues to host a very
popular traditional bluegrass radio show on WDVX on Tuesday evenings. The sounds of East Tennessee and the
surrounding areas of North Carolina and Virginia are dominant here, and if
you like it traditional and deep catalog, you'll love this.
Ruben & Matt and the Truffle Valley Boys - I Like The
Old Time Way - self-released
As a follow up to last year's surprisingly great first
release, this international band with roots in Italy has a love affair with the
early bluegrass of the late 1940s and early 1950s, and seeks to recreate that
sound in all its single mic texture and with what sounds like the technology of
the time in its simplicity. The music is
just as fresh as it was in those early days, and it has all the tell-tale human
elements that demonstrate this is the real thing. All the singing is in English and only occasionally
can you even detect an accent. This group has done some incredible research and
woodshedding to pull this off, and they succeed.
Mickey Galyean & Cullen's Bridge - My Daddy's Grass -
Rebel
This one is more mainstream than Mickey's last album thanks
to the insight of the Freemans at Rebel Records. For those new to this band, Mickey is the son
of regional bluegrass hero Cullen Galyean from Surry County, North
Carolina. Cullen won the banjo
competition at the first bluegrass festival at Fincastle, and made many
pioneering recordings with Folkways and County.
Mickey got into bluegrass in a powerful way several years back when he
helped release a tribute album of his dad's music, and then an album with Rich
In Tradition. This is Mickey's second
release with his own band, Cullen's Bridge, and it is a great representation of
original and classic traditional music from Surry and surrounding areas.
The South Carolina Broadcasters & Cousin Jimmy B - Best
of the Lowe Vintage Radio Show Vol. 1 - John Boy & Billy
In the interest of full disclosure, I am "Cousin Jimmy
B" and was the producer and announcer of the 15-minute 4-times-a-week
radio show that aired on WPAQ Mount Airy NC for 15 months between 2015 and 2016
featuring the South Carolina Broadcasters.
I signed on because I believe this group has something wonderful and original to
offer folks who are starving for new sounds that are unmistakably traditional. The trio of Ivy Sheppard, David Sheppard,
and Andy Edmonds, all from Surry County NC, have roots in old-time and
bluegrass traditions, and the music they write and perform reminds the listener of both
without actually being full-out either. They are
all multi-instrumentalists and their three-part vocal harmonies are
out-of-this-world. World-renowned 78 record collector Joe Bussard makes a rare musical appearance on this recording. Their 2015 release "Tell Me Truly" was a more cohesive effort than this radio transcription, and the upcoming
album from the group promises to be amazing, so this one will have to do until then.
Travers Chandler - Archaic - Patuxent
It's hard to know what Travers is up to at any given time
whether making music with his now-defunct band Avery County, to his newest
endeavor with former Bluegrass Brother Steve Dowdy, or writing his Charlie
Moore biography, or driving a big rig around the country, but it is clear that
Travers knows what blue collar bar room bluegrass that incubated in the
Baltimore and Washington DC area in the 1950s and 1960s is all about, and he obviously seeks to keep it going. His mandolin
picking is powerful with all the tremolo one would expect from an old Buzz
Busby record, and his singing is raw and emotive. This CD is really what might be the
last Avery County album before Travers' next project, and its mix of honky-tonk
country and bar room bluegrass makes it nearly unique in modern bluegrass.
The Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show - Sho Nuff Country! -
Patuxent
Karl has been making bluegrass in this configuation (albeit
with lots of personnel changes) for over 23 years, and this latest effort is a
fantastic collection of honky-tonk, western swing, and early sounding
bluegrass. Tom Mindte over at Patuxent
Records may be the only producer giving voice to music like this today, and
thank goodness we have him and his label.
Karl's band is one of the best ever, with the dynamo combination of
Brennen Ernst on banjo and guitar, Billy Hurt, Jr., on fiddle, Justin Harrison
on mandolin, and Kris Shiflett on bass.
Of course Karl is the man out front on guitar and lead vocals. As a DJ, I love records like this that I can
pop in the player and hit any track for a great experience.The Po' Ramblin' Boys - Back To The Mountains - Randm Records
*********
Since my collection is less than orgainized at the moment, I may come back and add more later.
Jim Beaver
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