Description
As one of the founding fathers of the bluegrass/jazz hybrid dominating the new acoustic scene, Sam Bush has always kept a close eye on songcraft and tradition, even as he looks toward expanding the expressive and commercial potential of traditional styles. If his previous album,
King of the World, was maddeningly eclectic, this, his seventh solo album, sounds more focused and in touch with what made his pioneering work with New Grass Revival so exciting. With the exception of the nimble, dainty instrumental "The Dolphin Dance" and the frenetic, somewhat overwrought electrified jam of the title track, the material preserves the tight punch of a great bluegrass single--even when spilling over the seven-minute mark on Darrell Scott's "River Take Me" or layering organ and female backing vocals for an R&B groove on "I Wanna Do Right" (an homage to Hurricane Katrina victims, cowritten with Jeff Black). His band (featuring Byron House on bass, Keith Sewell on guitar, and Scott Vestal on banjo) blazes straight through the tricky 5/4 time of John Hartford's "On the Road" and finds a melodic sweetness to It's a Beautiful Day's classic-rock standard "White Bird." On Julie Miller's "The River's Gonna Run" he gets his first chance to duet with his old friend Emmylou Harris, and also gets a hard Americana drive courtesy of Buddy Miller's chunky guitars. Certainly Bush has made more experimental records, but this one is among his most tuneful and slyly rocking.
--Roy Kasten
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