Sep 13
Steep Canyon Rangers - Lovin’ Pretty Women (Rebel Records)
“Lovin’ Pretty Women”Steep Canyon Rangers
“Lovin’ Pretty Women”, the Steep Canyon Rangers’ fourth release, reveals a dynamic cohesive outfit, steeped in tradition and ready to set the bluegrass world on fire. With one foot squarely planted in tradition and the other dabbling in the nuances of new grass, the band puts forth a sonic landscape that will be instantly familiar and comfortable to the die-hard traditionalists, yet as fresh and new as anything you’ve heard.
The group’s banjo picker, Graham Sharp, had a hand in writing eight of the 12 cuts on the project and may very well be the Steep Canyon Ranger’s ace in the hole.
To the uninitiated, a top to bottom listen will leave the listener wondering if Monroe or some other luminary of the genre originally released these songs years ago. Sharp has a real gift for penning tunes that sound like instant classics.
On Tour
- Sep. 15 2nd annual Mountain Song Festival - Brevard, NC
- Sep. 19 Uncle Pen Days Festival - Bean Blossom IN
- Sep. 20 Moondog’s - Blawnox, PA
- Sep. 21 Ashland Coffee and Tea, Ashland, VA
- Sep. 22 Nothin’ Fancy Bluegrass Festival - Buena Vista, VA
- Sep. 29 Foggy Hollow Bluegrass Gatherin’ - Wellington, AL
- Oct. 2 Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
The instrumental work on the disc showcases a group of musicians who’ve honed their craft from years of playing together on the road.
The tight interplay of Nicky Sanders (fiddle), Mike Guggino (mandolin) and Graham Sharp show a well seasoned and confident mentality… never over playing but continuously dancing around the vocal and playing perfectly to each song.
Charles Humphrey III’s bass lines are solid and in the pocket pushing and pulling the beat as needed.
Woody Platt’s vocals are a big part of this band and its instantly memorable sound. Platt has a vocal quality that brings a real honesty to the material. Never sounding contrived and forced, Platt is as at ease singing the title track, pondering the thoughts of a life chasin’ those pretty women as he is singing the starkly contrasting and somber “Be Still Moses.”
The title cut, “Lovin’ Pretty Women,” could have been a banjo/fiddle hoe-down, played in some cleared-out barn on a Saturday night at the turn of the century. Yet the feel of the tune still fits well with some of the contemporary grass being tossed around these days.
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If “Lovin’ Pretty Women” is sign of things yet to come from the Steep Canyon Ranger’s, bluegrass as a genre is in more than capable hands with this next generation group. This record should put the Steep Canyon Rangers in the spotlight of the bluegrass community at large.
Top to bottom there isn’t a filler song on the project and I’d venture to say that the cutting room floor probably ended up with a couple of gems that didn’t make the record.
“Lovin’ Pretty Women” - Steep Canyon Rangers
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