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North Carolina's
Shady Grove Band consists of Jerry Brown, guitar and clawhammer
banjo; Charles Pettee, mandolin and mandola; Adael Shinn,
upright bass; and John Boulding, banjo and dobro. Each band
member shares vocals. Guest performers include Nicky Sanders,
Bobby Britt, Don Lewis and Matt Hooper. Tommy Edwards helps out
with some finer-style guitar picking on Sweet Home In
Dixieland, a song he penned. Robert Sledge offers the lead
guitar work on Silvery Moon. Robbie Link fills in on
bass for one number. The album opens with a lively number which
set s the paces for the entire project. The Old Crossroads,
sung by Adael Shinn, is about as good a version you'll ever
hear of this classic. The project ends with Jerry Brown
performing one of his own compositions, Darling Abigail,
on clawhammer banjo. Other selections include Gracie,
Just Ain't, If It Takes Two and The Anchor.
-- Robert Steelman,
Bluegrass Music
Profiles Sep/Oct 08 |
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"Back in Circulation"
hits the bluegrass highpoints. There's Bill Monroe's gospel "The
Old Cross Roads" andhis swing tune, "Dark as the Night." Guest
fingerpicker and writer, Tommy Edwards, brightens "Sweet Home in
Dixieland," the sentimental paean to the South. Charles Pettee's
mandolin gets in some nice licks as well. The title track opens,
a humorous she-done-me-wrong song, introducing the band with a
tuneful banjo, sweet chorus harmonies, and a nifty solo
trade-off from banjo to fiddle and, later, from fiddle to banjo.
Special kudos to guest fiddler Nicky Sanders who approaches
every tune he's on with confidence and imaginative solos. The
unexpected cover entry is Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings."
Brown's ominous guitar triplets lead to an extensive revision of
the song, including a chorus using the original's refrain.
Brown's attack on the guitar is buzzsaw vicious. The
instrumental "Gracie," featuring only the core band, showcases
their picking. The Shady Grove Band, going strong for over
twenty-five years, has never been out of circulation. But, on
their second self-released disc since leaving Flying Fish, the
band is back from somewhere with a wide-ranging and pleasing
record.
-- Minor 7th -
non-mainstream
acoustic guitar music e-zine
©
David Kleiner
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Check it out! The Shady Grove Band was recently featured on WUNC Radio, September 15, 2006.
Click the icon to listen to our interview.
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