The good news out there is that people are still making music. Some albums that had been held have been recently released, and some musicians are making new music from home, home studios, or wherever they can find a place.
Two notable releases in the past week or so are Steep Canyon Rangers’ Arm in Arm and Sturgill Simpson’s Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions). Before you say, “Wait, isn’t Sturgill Simpson a country singer?” Well, yes he is—but in this album he goes back to his Jackson, Kentucky bluegrass roots.
Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1
Cuttin’ Grass was released a week ago, and has twenty songs, including bluegrass versions of earlier tracks from his first three albums. There are also some songs from the mid-2000s with his band Sunday Valley. Simpson broke with his label, Elektra Records, in February. He started his own label, and this is the first album under its imprimatur High Top Mountain Records.”
This album features a band of amazing pickers, including Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, and Tim O’Brien.
There’s almost an hour of bluegrass cuts here:
1 All Around You
2 All the Pretty Colors
3 Breakers Roar
4 I Don’t Mind
5 I Wonder
6 Just Let Go
7 Life Ain’t Fair
8 A Little Light
9 Life of Sin
10 Long White Line
11 Living the Dream
12 Old King Coal
13 Railroad of Sin
14 Sitting Here Without You
15 Sometimes Wine
16 The Storm
17 Time After All
18 Turtles All the Way Down
19 Voices
20 Water in a Well
There are a lot of classic bluegrass arrangements, but “All the Pretty Colors” is one of my favorites, with really fine fiddling by Stuart Duncan. “A Little Light,” is pure classic bluegrass gospel. And you’d nearly expect Jimmy Martin to have written “Life Ain’t Fair and the World is Mean.”
Although a few reviews have criticized Simpson for merely recasting some of his country tunes, bluegrass fans should appreciate the new take on the country hits.
With the title including the phrase, “Volume 1,” it appears we can expect more. According to a Rolling Stone review, Simpson confirms this.
Arm in Arm
Steep Canyon Rangers’ Arm in Arm (Yep Roc Records) came out just a day after Sturgill Simpson’s album, and has already garnered solid praise. This album is even better than I’ expected, and I expected a lot.
According to a local Asheville, NC paper, banjo player and vocalist Graham Sharp says that the songs, “were written and recorded when there was no inkling of a pandemic.” Every cut is worthy of a serious listen, although many will not fit into the traditional bluegrass mold. There are lots of slow, pensive songs whose lyrics highlight the deft and insightful songwriting that this group continues to do. Listen from beginning to end, and then listen again.
1 One Drop of Rain
2 Sunny Days
3 Everything You Know
4 Every River
5 Honey on My Tongue
6 In the Next Life
7 Bullet in the Fire
8 Take My Mind
9 A Body Like Yours
10 Afterglow
11 Crystal Ship
You can read a good interview with them (Part 1 of 2) in the Bluegrass Situation.
You can also support the Steep Canyon Rangers on Patreon.
Bonus Album! Brothers Osborne
A final word for you fans of country. The same week as these two releases, the Brothers Osborne also dropped a new album, Skeletons. No, this is not the Osborne Brothers (of course) but the Brothers Osborne, apparently no relation to the bluegrass greats. They are brothers, though. This is pure Outlaw/Southern/whatever you call it Country, with some heavy percussion and some clever lyrics—listen to hard-rocking “Lighten Up” in particular.
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Need some Halloween bluegrass inspiration? Have a look at last year’s column here — the playlist is found here.
Happy listening! And, wear a mask so we can see each other again soon.
