There is something about bluegrass musicians
that does not allow for poor singing, playing that is
out of tune, or low quality recordings that are
muffled or otherwise badly produced. Receiving many
country CDs in the post, some are so poor musically
that I wonder why people have spent their hard earned
cash to produce and send them out. Funny; but even the
most obscure of Bluegrass bands who've sent their
product to me are of top-class musically and very well
produced and have never fallen into this category.
I had not heard of The Just Bluegrass Band untill Marc Baum
program director and host Blades Of Blue The Homegrown Bluegrass
Show www.greenmountainmusic.com
approached me. Believing
that
this CD would be of interest to me and for airplay on my own
radio show…how right he was!!! The Just Bluegrass Band and their
CD Time is 'Just' a teasing bluegrass
treasure that combines finely selected covers with original
numbers. To go to the last track first; if I may be excused
for this anomaly, their racing version of the Jerry Lee Lewis
classic "Great Balls Of Fire"
only goes to prove how an imaginative band can blend ass-kicking
rock 'n' roll with the traditional bluegrass formula.
The Just Bluegrass band is made up of Lee
Surgener guitar - vocals; Jeff Blankenship banjo -
baritone; Andy Crabtree dobro - vocals; Don Long
upright bass and Kevin Crabtree mandolin - fiddle -
vocals. The Just Bluegrass Band from Ohio was formed
in the fall of 2001 and took the bluegrass circuit by
storm in Ohio during 2003. They have shared billing
with such acts as, Sam Bush, Tony Trishka, Larry
Cordle (writer of "Murder On Music Row"),
and country music artists, Confederate Railroad and
Marty Stewart. The album sets off at a rapid pace with
two of the band's own composition "Three
Little Things" (Mike Martin/Lee Surgener)
(the band say is becoming a hit in the USA) and the
title track "Time"
written by Surgener who's name is related to the
writing or co-writing five of the tracks contained
here; the other three being the swirling "Your
Love Is Like A Hurricane", the emotive
"Someday" and the tantalizing "A
Kid's Life". Jeff Blankenship contributes
a fine banjo driven instrumental with "Rivers
Edge".
We are also treated to some fine interpretations
of well-known covers such as Bill Monroe's classic
"Blue Moon Of Kentucky"
and "Wheel Hoss".
Martha Ellis' "I'm Not
Broke But Badly Bent" gets a 1st class
arrangement with fine playing and phrasing, as does
J.R. Baxter Jnr/W.B. Stevens' "Father
Along". Time
offers 13 tracks in all...an album that is impelled
forward with an exquisite magical delivery. Don't let
this one pass you by! Check out the band's own website
at http://www.justbluegrass.com
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