J.D. Crowe and the New South (Rounder)
Turns out that the New South sounds mighty like the Old—or at least the Relatively Recent—South. Crowe's band sounds a little like Flatt & Scruggs, a little like Ricky Skaggs and a big lump like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Crowe's banjo picking, Dwight McCall's mandolin playing and vocals, plus the glib fiddling of Glen Duncan and Buddy Spicher add up to a bonanza for bluegrass fans. This album reaches back to traditional blues ("Careless Love") but also includes more recent tunes by songwriters like Merle Haggard ("Back to the Barrooms") and Townes Van Zandt ("White Freightliner"). Despite the band's polish there's a nice, loose feel to this CD, their seventh. The obscurity in which they've labored seems undeserved.
Bottom Line: Bluegrass done right
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