Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road: I Can Go To Them
Song List: Going Up, Brush Arbors, Happy on My Way, Lessons of the Book, Jesus Hold My Hand, I Heard My Mother Call My Name in Prayer, Travel Travel On, Further Along, He Will Set Your Fields on Fire, Harp With Golden Strings, I Cannot Bring Them Back (But I Can Go To Them), Traveling the Highway Home.
Lorraine Jordan has been called the “lady of tradition” for her adherence to the traditional bluegrass sound and she has assembled a band of fine musicians with powerful solo and harmony voices and an instrumental blend that shifts from solo performances grounded in a rhythm groove that gives each song that special hard-driving vibe. Lorraine’s mandolin playing and vocals blend seamlessly with her trio of strong lead singers – Randy Graham on guitar, Allen Dyer on guitar, and Kevin Lamm on bass. Also in the band are Matt Hooper on fiddle, Joe Pessolano on guitar, and Ben Greene on banjo.
The a cappella show stopper on the album is the stirring rendition of “I Cannot Bring Them Back (But I Can Go To Them).” Randy Graham delivers the rough-hewn lead vocal in the style of Ralph Stanley. Lorraine wrote “Lessons of the Book” and the call and response delivery of the vocals pairs nicely with the lead passages played on banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin. Other traditional songs by Albert Brumley and William York will delight the listener, and the band’s delivery of “Further Along” and “I Heard My Mother Call My Name in Prayer” achieve a high standard. The blend of fiddle and banjo give the Gosdin Brothers’ “Going Up” and the Bailes’ “Traveling the Highway Home” Great collection from one of the top bands playing in the traditional style.