I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus but when the new album by Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road came across my desk yesterday I had to give it a listen. Well, if I'm going to listen then I can't not review the album. One thing I can count on from Lorraine - she never ever disappoints! I wait anxiously for the day I can hear them perform in person. For now, TRUE GRASS AGAIN will have to do.
True Grass Again kicks off the album with a bluegrass counterpart to Alan Jackson's Murder on Music Row. I'm a strong believer in "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". When it comes to bluegrass, we need more folks like Lorraine Jordan and Caroline Road to keep Bluegrass as it was intended... deep rooted and living proud in our heritage.
I Don't Want To Lose You reminds me of I Just Wish You Were Someone I Loved. The flavor is there and you can't beat the banjo licks that not just kick off the tune but run throughout like a good thumping bass in string form.
Run Little Fox is a playful tune. I can see this as background for a mountain style television show.
The opening fiddle of Poor Monroe, while no relation to the legend, this tune would give Bill Monroe a chuckle.
Another Soldier is a fitting tribute for soldiers who fight for our freedom, reminding us that while they are gone they are not forgotten.
Pickin' Rock Out of the Bluegrass gets straight to the point. Bluegrass is bluegrass, then there's everything else and some things, like drums, just do not belong!
Preaching Praying Singing reminds me of the revivals I attended as a child. Those revivals are still held in this new area I call home but they don't seem to have that same feel as they did forty years ago.
Like their previous album, COUNTRY GRASS, TRUE GRASS AGAIN, brings the heart of bluegrass to the forefront of the stage, reminding us where the music began generations ago... on the front porch of that Little Country Home filled with the love of family and where music tells a story.
Portrait Of the Blues is more bluegrass then blues, but then again, they both tell a story in their own unique sound.
I knew as soon as I read the title - I Hear Angels Calling Your Name, I would not be able to listen to this song without thinking of my mom. Several times before her passing she would lay in her hospital bed and claim to see a little girl that looked just like me at about the age of 8, telling her it wasn't time yet. I knew the night she passed, her angel had visited one last time to take her hand. She watches over me every day and someday, she will come to take my hand.
Cherokee Shuffle takes us back up to a place where you want to dance, to celebrate life. I dare you to keep your toes from tapping on what is more a reel than a shuffle.
Aside from the amazing harmonies of this group, my favorite thing is that every track is anchored by the artistic banjo pickin' of Ben Greene and the fiddle of both Josh Goforth and Matt Hooper.
Whether you're new to bluegrass or need to add to your collection TRUE GRASS AGAIN is the sweet cream of the churn.
I've found a YouTube of True Grass for you to give a listen to:
As if there were any doubt, I'm giving TRUE GRASS AGAIN:
TRUE GRASS AGAIN releases August 10th.
You'll find the album available then in their Online Store (physical copy) and on Amazon (mp3)
You can catch up with Lorraine Jordan & Caroline Road on the following Social Media locations:
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