Northern California Bluegrass Society provides this CD review. You can find our most current reviews on our Message Board, where you can comment or query the author directly. Our monthly magazine, Bluegrass By the Bay also publishes them.

Songs:
1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Learnin' The Blues
Count Me Out
All Aboard
The Bluegrass Country
Recovering Pharisee
Goldbricken
Gone But Not Forgotten
The King's Shilling
Unequal Love
A Good Man Travelin'
Teardrop Blues

Ceili Music
CEIL 2006
329 Rockland Road
Henderson, TN 37075
@2001

Personnel:
Del McCoury guitar, vocals
Ronnie McCoury madolin,vocals
Rob McCoury banjo
Mike Bub bass, vocals
Jason Carter fiddle

With all his awards and years of experience in bluegrass stretching from his time as a Bluegrass Boy with Bill Monroe, Del McCoury has been called a legend and rightly so. This new CD adds to Del's status as a bluegrass legend and a bluegrass innovator. His recent collaboration with Steve Earle has brought him many new fans and the songs on this package are sure to add many more. The band has now been together for 10 years, and their cohesive sound gets better and better. Del's guitar and Mike Bub's bass provide the strong rhythm on all the songs, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo add fast-paced and melodic emphasis on all the songs and Jason Carter's fiddle work weaves in and out. The band uses one microphone in performance and they gracefully weave in and out of the mic range as they perform and the same choreography seems to be evident in the blend of the voices and instrumental breaks.

The CD leads off with Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," a tribute to a hard-riding modern-day Jesse James who leaves his beloved motorcycle to his lady love. Del's rendition makes you want to believe in the story and hop on the road looking for red-haired ladies in black leather. The rhythm guitar, banjo and mandolin backup give the song the bluegrass sound even though the song was written by a British songwriter about a classic motorcycle. The gospel train theme of "All Aboard" is spiced with the ghostly fiddle sounds of Jason Carter and "Bluegrass Country" lends a contemporary look at the old home place. A Frank Sinatra inspired tune, "Learning The Blues," gives Del a chance to showcase that magical voice that makes any song or style sound related to bluegrass. Jason's fiddle Ronnie's mandolin shine on his instrumental, "Goldbrickin'." This album has it all - good songs, great singing, outstanding instrumental backup - be in line to get it on July 10th!