Pinecastle Records

****1/2

Bluegrass music for me has always seemed to have an inherent power to raise your spirits and push away the darker elements of reality and we could all use some of that right now. This is bluegrass as free-ranging and masterful as any you’d be hearing at any of the numerous bluegrass festivals across America, Britain or Europe. Masterminded by Steve Wilson, a skilled banjo player, songwriter and vocalist, the highlights are numerous and the sequencing is immaculate. Steve is renowned for building banjos. His Wilson Custom Banjo having been endorsed by such pickers as Gena Britt, Dale Perry, Tony Wray and others. He has been a sideman or member of various bands over the years and is also a leading engineer and producer at Bonfire Recording Studio. In 2014 he recorded an EP, THE GUARDIAN, under the name of the Wilson Banjo Co, to demonstrate the sound of his banjo model carrying that name. Due to the success of this home-produced recording, he released SPIRITS IN THE HILLS. a full album and the Wilson Banjo Co. band was born.

This new album’s title came about when Steve realised that many of the singers and musicians he has worked with, either out on the road or in the studio, are so closely connected, most being part of the wider bluegrass family. He called on many of them to become part and parcel of the recording, with the dozen tracks showcasing a brilliant collection of 30 players and vocalists. An outstanding picker and songwriter of considerable worth, this is an excellent testament to Steve stepping further into the spotlight, as he works hard to put his tuneful trademark on every note he plays, without detracting from the superb playing of the many guest musicians.

Beautiful, clean bluegrass, played with world class musicians, the album opens with the eerie When The Crow Comes Down, with lead vocals by young Sarah Logan, currently a student at East Tennessee State University. A natural bluegrass vocalist, she handles the lead vocals on seven songs and provides harmonies on the other five as well as playing fiddle on two tracks. On the evidence of her work on this album, this young lady has a very bright musical future. Originally sung and co-written by Jordan Rainer, this version is given a neat bluegrass arrangement with Deanie Richardson’s fiddle setting a dark tone, before the tempo picks up with Steve’s banjo, Richard Bennett’s guitar and Milom Williams’ mandolin all taking the spotlight and Melanie Wilson adding high harmonies.  Steve’s banjo keeps She Is A Gambler chugging along behind the gritty Clay Hess lead vocal, while Jason Fraley’s mandolin, Glen Crain’s reso guitar and Clay’s acoustic guitar take turns with fine breaks.

Several gospel-styled songs are standouts, including the harmony showcase Just A Few More Miles. Close your eyes while listening, and you’ll be in a little country church house. It’s worth a repeat just to listen to the way the voices of Sarah Logan, Dale Ann Bradley, Steve Wilson and Dale Perry blend together with such ease. Sarah’s voice simply warms your heart with the gentle prayer-like Colours Of My Life, the musicians plying tasteful accompaniment, as the lyrics share an intimacy and appeal that ensures acceptance across the board.

Severin Theinert’s tender vocals are at the fore on his own self-penned Old Fashioned Way, with Sarah providing exquisite harmonies for a distinctly down-home stance that is simply too compelling to ignore. The achingly gorgeous Wrong Turn That Led Me To You, co-written by Steve and Brittany Wilson, acts as a centrepiece of the album; its sombre and elegant tone encourages that there is always hope, as a chance meeting turns a sad lonely life into a bright future of happiness. A brightness haunts the shadows of Autumn Leaves, a song from the Donna Hughes catalogue. A foot-tapper with great vocal phrasing from Sarah, with Gena Britt adding exquisite harmonies and playing her Wilson custom banjo alongside Blake Young’s mandolin, Richard Bennett’s acoustic guitar, Glen Crain’s reso guitar, Stephen Hudson’s fiddle and Michael ‘Porkchop’ Branch’s always solid upright bass.

With the Wilson Banjo Co., Steve Wilson has clearly found a platform from which to attain wider recognition for both his banjos and his skill as a band leader, producer and studio engineer. This album isn’t a bluegrass relic, but a dynamic example of how great the music can be. An excellent, quite musical recording, with great songs and solid instrumentation, all of them masterfully arranged, the sublime beauty and performances of these songs lives within the listener even after the final notes of the closing song fade out.

www.wilsonbanjo.com

June 2021