Since his justifiably heralded return to full-time bluegrass a little over ten years ago, Ricky Skaggs has been slowly easing away from the revivalism that marked Bluegrass Rules! — until now. Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass zeroes in on a dozen tunes recorded by the 1946-1947 edition of Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys. [...]

Though it’s been barely a year since Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s last release, there’s been a thorough change in personnel, with but one member remaining. Three departing musicians, including longtimer Jamie Dailey, have been replaced, and for the first time, a sixth player has been added (resonator guitarist Josh Swift). In some spheres, such changes [...]

Young, sincere and enthusiastic, the Farewell Drifters pulled together their debut disc in short order with some help from experienced engineer Ben Surratt and producer Glen Garrett. Sweet Summer Breeze is a terrific snapshot of where the group is now, with the bulk of the material written by rhythm guitarist / lead singer Zach Bevill [...]

A lot of folks, me included, figured Sonny Osborne’s retirement a couple of years ago would be followed quickly by that of his older brother. Instead, Bobby Osborne appears determined to pursue his own path — one not dramatically but rather incrementally different from that of the Osborne Brothers. On Bluegrass Melodies, his second solo [...]

Banjo player and bandleader Sammy Shelor has had to cope with yet another lineup change in the Lonesome River Band, and as the group nears its 25th anniversary, there’s both good news and a little not so good to report. Start with the good: The addition of singer Barry Berrier, who brings not only a [...]

As a friend of mine inelegantly but accurately puts it, Marty Raybon is one singing bastard, with a slightly husky voice seemingly capable of infinite emotional range and unlimited nuance. On his third bluegrass release, Raybon and his band deliver a wide range of material with both gusto and sensitivity, ranging from classics such as [...]

One foot in bluegrass and one in country is an increasingly popular stance these days, and that’s right where you’ll find Florida native Tresa Jordan. Produced by Jim Cooper, Jordan’s debut solidly blends the two idioms, with upright bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro and drums leavened by an occasional banjo. Though the instrumentation may [...]

Pre-release publicity for John Cowan’s first Pinecastle disc focused on “Drown”, a searing (and autobiographical) account of child molestation and its aftermath, but beyond that, the news here is that the spectacularly gifted singer and bassist has embraced (or at least come to terms with) his newgrass roots. More than any of the albums he’s [...]

Fiddler Casey Driessen already has an impressive resume, having served in the bands of Tim O’Brien and Steve Earle and participating in the lamentably short run of genre-busting electric string band Wisechild. On his solo debut, he works with a palette that’s both wide and deep, essaying, among others, a bold multi-tracked version of Bill [...]