Who ya listenin' to?

[C Eric Banister]

Anything new? Anything old? Who are you listening to in bluegrass?

I'm still loving the new one by Danny Paisley and Southern Grass, "Room Over Mine." The new one by Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, "Leavin' Town," is fantastic. Todd Rakestraw is a great new voice in bluegrass, although he has been around awhile, just not on the major stages.

[Brady]

I listened to The Grascals a couple times through over the weekend and it was good, but not my favorite. I've been meaning to check out Danny Paisley, so I'll have to do that now with a recommendation from you.

[C Eric Banister]

I like the Grascals, but for some reason this new album didn't spark with me. I need to give it a couple more spins, but it was a little cover heavy to me. I'm glad to see a few Aubrey Holt songs on there though. While hitting a used shop this weekend I found a solo album by Terry Eldredge I didn't know existed. It was recorded during his tenure with the Osborne brothers and they act as his backing group on the disc. I haven't listened to it yet, but it is next in line in the stack.

Let me know what you think of Danny Paisley when you give it a listen. I should have a review of it up at AR this week. He is one of the best our there, IMO.

[Jim Malec]

I've been listening to Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain...because I'm working on a review of the album. I'm curious what y'all think about that record, if you've had a chance to listen.

Also, keep your eyes peeled, there may be an upcoming giveaway involving something tasty.

[C Eric Banister]

I haven't gotten the chance to hear the latest CHHR, but I enjoyed the first one.

[Matt C]

For my money, the best bluegrass album of the year so far is the Dailey and Vincent debut.

Recently, I've listened to CHHR2, which I enjoyed, and Ricky Skaggs' The High Notes which I haven't been able to get my head around yet. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting from Ricky.

I haven't listened to the Grascal's new album yet but have high expectations. I'm also looking forward to the new Old Crow Medicine Show project.

[Jim Malec]

Sorry, I think the Infinite Stringduster's album is way WAY better than Daily & Vincent. I thought y'all overrated that album...too much religious fodder for my tastes.

If I wanted to hear a church album, I'd go to church. I know that's a part of the bluegrass tradition, but it just dominates that record. Not to mention that the production is slick as a nickel (sadly, though, not as rugged as cool as Nickel Creek).

[C Eric Banister]

I liked the Infamous Stringdusters release. They are coming close to me in November, so I plan on hitting that show.

The religious content on Dailey & Vincent didn't surprise me. If you ever talk to either one of them, it is very much a part of who they are. I really liked their debut, too, Matt. I wouldn't be surprised if they got IBMA Entertainer of the Year this year.

I agree on High Notes, too. I think the marketing was a little off on that one because, to me, they weren't done in a bluegrass style, just more with bluegrass instrumentation and a few other instruments. I got to see him live a couple of weeks ago and they did four songs from the album and they were much more "grassy" live.

If you guys like the old school type stuff, I would encourage you to check out the indie duo of Bobby Powell and Tim Jones. They now have a band, but the CD is just under their names. carolinablueband.com

[Stormy]

My favorite new bluegrass singer is Sierra Hull.

[Matt B]

I love that Rickey record, Haven't listened to the Grascals enough to have an opinion on it and the same goes for the Daily Vincent record. I like the Dan Tyminski record a lot.

[Matt C]

Infamous Stringdusters: I saw these guys open for Earl Scruggs last month, and it's the only time that I've seen them live. I walked away thinking that they're a lot smarter than they are talented. It's clear from their albums and performance that they really know how to make bluegrass music. Their instrumental and melodic constructions are almost perfect. However, I was pretty underwhelmed by their live performance and thought that they were modest instrumentalists and vocalists. Frankly, they should've been ashamed to put their banjo player on the same stage as Earl Scruggs.

[Rick]

Being my usual off kilter self the bluegrass artists I really like are 3 Fox Drive, Cherryholmes, and Donna Hughes. Rhonda Vincent is always amazing but she's just too big in the bluegrass scene for me to root for! (lol) I must say that evertime I hear The Steeldrivers on the Opry they also blow me away with their bluegrass blues/soul music.

As for Ricky Skaggs new Cracker Barrel CD, I don't really see a compelling need. His instrumentation in his mainstream country days was always acoustically based in sound and style. His excellent 80's vintage "Live In London" album is living proof of this and the new album pales in comparison. What I am glad about is that Ricky has started to include some of these older hits into his live act after going total bluegrass for the last few years.

[Lynn]

I really liked some of the songs on the Dan Tyminski album, but the energy was a bit underwhelming and his voice not all that compelling. I downloaded the latest single from Kasey Chambers on iTunes today called "Rattlin' Bones". It's the first single off a new album with Shane Nicholson. I'm not familiar with Kasey Chambers older stuff (yet), but this song has a great bluegrass vibe to it.

[PaulaW]

I'm not a big bluegrass fan, but I like Donna Ulisse. She can do country, and bluegrass both very well. Beautiful voice.

http://www.myspace.com/donnastanleyulisse

[Funk]

Bummer. I was set to go see the Stringdusters this weekend at a local Bluegrass festival on a lake near this one but now I don't know. Anybody esle seen them live?

[C Eric Banister]

Funk, I haven't seen them live yet, but I plan to in a month or so.

Speaking of live shows, Lynn, if you get to see Tyminski and his group live, go for it. I think you'll find that missing energy. Having Tyminski, Adam Steffey and Ron Stewart on the same stage was great. They really tried to one-up each other during the show I saw early this year. Justin Moses, while extremely quiet on stage, held his own wonderfully and joined in the competitive spirit a few times. I'm going to see them again in a month or so.

[pwdennis]

Bluegrass is a secondary interest for me - I like it but I get tired of it after a while. It takes a really great bluegrass album to keep me interested for long. CHERRYHOLMES II - BLACK AND WHITE and Rhonda Vincent's GOOD THING GOING are the two best I've heard in the last year or so.

[C Eric Banister]

So far Cherryholmes has my vote for IBMA Entertainer of the Year. Their new album should be here in the Fall.

[Chris D]

Does Nickel Creek count? They're the only real bluegrass I listen to at all, but I listen to them all the time. My favorite songs being "Reasons Why", "Should've Known Better", "This Side", "Scotch and Chocolate", and "When In Rome."

[Matt C]

Nickel Creek is barely bluegrass ("Newgrass"). Plus, they've broken up (for now). I've liked most of their stuff, but their last effort (Why Should the Fire Die?) was a little too artsy for my taste (by which I mean that the lyrics could only be appreciated after a good reefer).