To Be His Child
Artist: The Nashville Bluegrass Band

To Be His Child is an affecting sampling of the Nashville Bluegrass Band's gospel material, featuring both their string work and several tracks that feature an a capella quartet. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide Read More

Coming of Age
Artist: The Rarely Herd

As the title suggests, Coming of Age is a sign that the Rarely Herd have matured into one of contemporary bluegrass' finest acts. Returning to mostly secular material, the group welcomes guest banjoist Don Wayne Reno. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Read More

Our Little Town
Artist: The Special Consensus

Our Little Town dabs the Special Consensus' traditional-style bluegrass with touches of folk, country, and jazz; the playing, as usual, is spotless. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Read More

Josh Graves
Artist: Josh Graves

On this album of mostly traditional bluegrass, split evenly between instrumental and vocal numbers (nicely handled by Terry Eldredge), Graves proves he is still one of the world's great dobro masters. The set includes familiar tunes from the catalogs of the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, the Delmore Brothers, and Flatt & Scruggs, plus a handful of... Read More

American Beauty
Artist: The Nashville Bluegrass Band

Always a delight, this band is one of the best in any genre. Pure and true to the music, they pull off such classics as the Flatt & Scruggs song "The Johnson Boys" and Ralph Stanley's "Holiday Pickin'" with finesse. They do a wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's "Livin' the Blues" and make the Gillian Welch-David Rawlings tune "Red Clay Halo" feel... Read More

Employee of the Month
Artist: Austin Lounge Lizards

They're light, they're fluffy, they're as funny as all get out. Whether it's a lampoon of Very Big Texan Things in "Stupid Texas Song," a parody of Leonard Cohen in "Leonard Cohen's Day Job" (which gets funnier the more you listen to it) or acknowledging the family of the '90s ("Hey, Little Minivan"), they're sharp and smart. The satire isn't... Read More

Sings & Plays Dobro
Artist: Gene Wooten
Community Score: 0.50
Waitin' for the Hard Times to Go
Artist: The Nashville Bluegrass Band

Waitin' for the Hard Time to Go is an excellent collection from a stellar bluegrass band. Instead of choosing to follow either a traditional or progressive direction, the Nashville Bluegrass Band decide to alternate between the two approaches, which makes it a considerably richer and eclectic record than most contemporary bluegrass albums.... Read More

Manzanita
Artist: The Tony Rice Unit

Comprised of both traditional songs and contemporary numbers, Manzanita was the third record in a row to demonstrate Tony Rice's considerable instrumental talent, and this album he is backed by a band featuring Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs and Jerry Douglas, who give him incredibly sympathetic and nuanced support. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide Read More

Tony Rice
Artist: Tony Rice

This eponymous release was the first of Tony Rice's many albums for the Rounder label, and hardcore bluegrass fans will probably consider it his best. Joined by an impressive roster of sidemen representing both the old and new schools of bluegrass playing (including David Grisman, J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, and Darol Anger), Rice runs through a... Read More

Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen
Artist: Rice, Rice, Hillman & Pedersen

With a country and bluegrass music pedigree as long as your right arm, Tony and Larry Rice team up again with Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen for another musical go-round that finds them all at the top of their game. On the other hand, despite the formidable musical chops of all the players involved, this is not an album full of flashy soloing,... Read More