Reviewed by Eric Saeger
With the help of an against-the-Nashville-grain producer (Neilson Hubbard), this Kentucky five-some are, as advertised, new-and-improved relative to their first LP Yellow Tag Mondays. Obvious clean-teens, the record purports to be an homage to their parents’ generation of 60s/70s music. But this sort of uppity bluegrass is more native to Mumford and Sons, if not as speedy. There’s old school reverb on the hand clap syncopated Peter Paul and Mary-style chill-rocker ‘We Go Together’, if that helps? Gone from the first album are the Statler Brothers harmonies, replaced by a more tight, modern-sounding vocal framework, skipping over the mandolin-woven pick-n-grinning. Some rag-like American Songwriter, I forget which, liked their stuff enough to give it thumbs up, a deserving judo that brings up the quickly aging subject of blue-grass rebirth posing a threat to the NASCAR-country dog-crap that’s been the go-to vibe for C&W for too long now. A little bit of darkness, swampiness or glitch wouldn’t hurt, but that’s just me giving them a tip about broader audiences and such; not every kid is wearing a promise ring these days.
Grade: A-
