How does Greg Cahill, leader of Special Consensus, do it? Has he ever recorded two CDs with the same band mates? Granted, I don’t have all of Special C’s albums, but I’d venture a guess every recorded project has been done with a different lineup.

If that’s the case, why do all of these CDs through the years sound so darn good? Could Greg Cahill, himself, be the reason? I’d have to think so. Besides his keen ear for great material to record, he’s been, throughout his career, a school master of sorts, a pass-through station of up and coming instrumentalists and vocalists. And, did I mention, he’s one fine banjo picker?

To say the new Special C release on Pinecastle, “The Trail of Aching Hearts,” is a winner would be an understatement. It’s Greg Cahill and Company — whoever that company may be — at its peak. It’s hard to pick out a tune here that might be considered a filler; it’s even more difficult to single out a solo, whether it be by Cahill, one of his Special C gang or a guest instrumentalist that isn’t an ear-perker. This is one well conceived CD, from the tune selection to the nitty gritty instrumental fills that can really make a recording shine.

The song list covers the gamut, from Hank Snow’s “Down the Trail of Broken Hearts;” an early Marty Robbin’s hit, “The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot Tonight;” “Branded Wherever I Go,” from Flatt and Scruggs; to Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies.” And just some darn good bluegrass throughout.

“Blue Skies” has become one of Special C’s concert highlights, and it’s great to see it included in this project. Cahill and his merry band truly show their versatility and virtuosity on this one.

Mandolinist/vocalist Ron Spears contributes a couple of his own songs, “I’d Like to Wander Back to the Old Home” and “Lift Your Voice in Prayer.” (Spears, very definitely a driving force behind this edition of Special C, has since left the group and joined Doyle Lawson.)

A couple of other tunes deserve mention, the haunting “Rich Man’s Coal,” and “Ten Mile Tennessee,” the latter a tribute to a place we all long for, where the living is pretty darned easy and the world best viewed from a rocking chair on a front porch on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Justin Carbone’s slick guitar work and vocals shine throughout the CD.

Guest musicians are Tim Crouch on fiddle, Tres Nugent and Tim Dishman on bass, and Rob Ickes and Phil Ledbetter on Dobro.

My favorite Special C album is “Route 10,” a 2002 project. Give me a few more listens and “The Trail of Aching Hearts” just might bump “Route 10″ to No. 2.

– By Dan Tackett