CMT Blog: Bluegrass

Patty Loveless tackles the Harlan Howard classic "Busted" on her Mountain Soul II album and makes it her own using traditional bluegrass instrumentation. After growing up in Kentucky, those mournful sounds and her voice now seem made for each other. Her video finds a confused waitress who appears to stumble back in time to a strange moving picture parlor. Filled with men who ravenously crank away at their personal viewing machines -- including Buddy Apple, loyal sideman to Doyle & Debbie -- she gives one a try and sees Loveless in the viewfinder. Unfortunately, the waitress remains confused, but since she's got a job, at least she's not "busted."

The Infamous Stringdusters packed in the fans and gave a rousing performance last night (Jan. 20) for the third show of their month-long residency at Nashville's Station Inn. Sometimes known as the world headquarters of bluegrass, the Station Inn's intimate setting was perfect for the sold-out crowd, and you could tell by Dierks Bentley's stories of his younger days at the club that there's no place he would rather go to join in on the fun.

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In 2009, Blue Highway turned the corner on 15 years together with the original lineup intact -- a remarkable achievement for any band, but especially so in bluegrass. Luckily, it's not too late for Rounder Records to acknowledge their longevity as the indie label released a new compilation, Some Day: The Fifteenth Anniversary Collection, on Tuesday (Jan. 19). The title track is a new recording of one of their oldest tunes, and they've also included two new selections -- "Cold and Lowdown Lonesome Blues" and "Bleeding for a Little Piece of Mind," with Darrell Scott lending his rich baritone to the latter. I'm also pleased to find my favorite Blue Highway tune on here -- "Still Climbing Mountains," which is sort of my personal anthem of perseverance. The band won an IBMA award for song of the year in 2008 with the cinematic "Through the Window of a Train," and I hope they keep chugging along for a long, long time.

If you're a bluegrass fan, then you'll be pleased to hear that the Infamous Stringdusters have an action-packed 2010 ahead of them. The six-piece ensemble is launching a Wednesday-nights-in-January residency at the Station Inn tonight (Jan. 6) with special guest, Jim Lauderdale. Also in January, they're heading out on a brief Southeast tour with 2010 Grammy nominees, the Greencards -- quite a golden ticket since these two bands share a lot of early acoustic influences. After that, the ‘Dusters will be crisscrossing the Western half of the U.S. at various festivals, clubs and seedy saloons. Ah, the life of a musician. A new album, Things That Fly, is scheduled for April, but in the meantime, you can probably expect the guys to blog regularly from various forks in the road. If you think you can keep up, check out their shiny new Web site.

If you're looking for a last-minute gift for that special country fan, let me offer a few suggestions of "best of" compilations and boxed sets released this year. First of all, Brooks & Dunn's #1's ... And Then Some gathers nearly 20 years of big hits. They're throwing in the towel in 2010, so here's your chance to brush up on "Brand New Man," "My Maria," "Red Dirt Road" and "Believe" before the coast-to-coast farewell tour. Another concise collection is Kenny Chesney's Greatest Hits II, featuring a decade's worth of radio staples like "Young," "The Good Stuff" and "There Goes My Life." It also features his successful duets with Dave Matthews, Mac McAnally and Uncle Kracker. He's only playing a handful of summer dates next year so he may spend that time searching for equally enduring material.

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If you feel like relaxing for a few minutes, lean back in that desk chair and watch "Same Old Place" from Newfound Road. It's the bluegrass band's first music video and they keep it simple by working with a peacefully serene countryside setting. Featuring singer Tim Shelton's smooth vocal delivery, the song speaks to realizing that being in the "Same Old Place" isn't so bad after all.

About five or six years ago, Jimmy Wayne visited the CMT offices with his guitar and I distinctly remember him playing a song called "Elephant Ears." With such a peculiar title, I was curious to see where he was taking the narrative. Wayne wrote the song with Don Henry about a foster child who can't say "I love you" because she's afraid of growing too attached to her new family before being shuffled off to another home. Naturally it's a tearjerker. I was pleased to rediscover it on Wayne's new album, Sara Smile, and it still makes me say, "Awwww." Here are several other new tunes that I enjoyed just as much.

"Elephant Ears," Jimmy Wayne
"Old Things New," Joe Nichols
"Hello Lonely," Del McCoury Band
"Candy Bar Killer," Simone White
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One of the most expressive vocalists in Nashville, John Cowan is ringing in the holiday season with a new album, Comfort and Joy. If you're throwing a Christmas dinner party, you should consider getting this album to set a stylish mood because this elegant collection of Christmas favorites is just restrained enough to blend into the background. However, if your guests catch Cowan's commanding rendition of "O Holy Night," you'll certainly hear them ask, "Who the heck is that singer?" In that case, you can inform them that Cowan used to sing in New Grass Revival and that he remains a popular draws at festivals like Telluride and MerleFest. Cowan dedicates the album to his late father and that tenderness is evident in renditions of "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Song." If you like a little bit of mandolin and fiddle with your R&B (and I don't mean ribbons and bows), may this album bring you comfort and joy.

Charlie Daniels is already spreading the good tidings of Christmas. First of all, he's released a new holiday album, Joy to the World: A Bluegrass Christmas, with guests like Jewel, Kathy Mattea and Aaron Tippin, as well as Suzanne and Evelyn Cox, the Grascals and Dan Tyminski. Instead of a duets project, Daniels lets the singers tackle a whole tune. (Tyminski's rendition of "The Christmas Song" is especially terrific.) Daniels also offers a nifty new original, "Mississippi Christmas Eve," and recites both an original short story ("A Carolina Christmas Carol") and a passage from the book of Luke.

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When the Steep Canyon Rangers tell stories to their future grandchildren, they'll probably start spinning yarns with, "Back in October 2009 ..." The bluegrass band started out the month with the IBMA Awards at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, followed by an after-hours gig at the Station Inn with Steve Martin. Within a week's time, they joined Martin at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, then flew to New York City for Carnegie Hall and The Late Show With David Letterman. Along with backing Martin in a dozen major markets, they also played a handful of festival dates and released a sturdy new album, Deep in the Shade, which has climbed to No. 3 on Billboard's bluegrass chart and helped them secure the cover of Bluegrass Unlimited's November issue. And somewhere in the madness, I managed to catch up with them for a few minutes in Nashville during one of their many visits here lately.

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