Fields of Home - “Bittersweet”

James Woolsey can set a jam session on fire, whether he steps up with one of his own tunes, an old standard, going solo or with his wife Lynna kicking in on harmony. I’ve seen him — them — do it several times. Fellow jammers’ ears aren’t the only ones that Woolsey has perked up. He’s had some mild success as a songwriter. The Chapmans have recorded his tunes; so did a band called Northern Lights.

So, I was delighted that the Woolseys, residents of Southern Indiana, decided to do their own CD, with their band Fields of Home. The CD, titled “Bittersweet,” it’s full of Woosley-penned tunes, all of which have the potential to wind their way to commercial success.

Woolsey’s difficult to peg. One minute, he’s Doc Watson; one cut later, he’s James Taylor. A lot of influences bubble to the top of his music.

He’s supported on this CD by wife Lynna doing lots of nice backup harmonies and stepping out front on a couple of tunes; Chris Rothrock on mandolin and Guy Jackson on bass. Rothrock, incidentally, makes some fine acoustic guitars at his Southern Illinois home, Jimmy Woolsey can attest to that — he plays a Rothrock.

The CD opens with a rollicking Woolsey-penned “Runaway Train.” It pretty much sets the stage for the rest of the CD with its dominant rhythm guitar riffs. And, that leads me to a caveat here: This isn’t pure bluegrass stuff. There’s no banjo, no fiddle. But bluegrass fanatics should listen any way. It’s darn good acoustic music that easily slides into the genre of Monroe.

I thoroughly enjoyed several tunes on this CD. “Listen to the Angels ” is a contemporary gospel at its best. “Reasons Why,” is a sweet love ballad. “Sugar Mountain” is a Woolsey-written instrumental, and is one of the cuts reminiscent of Doc Watson with its very melodic flat picking.

Also Watson-like and good for a chuckle or two is “Pike County Blues.”

Lynna Woolsey gets her chance to shine by taking the lead vocal on “Those Memories,” the Bill Monroe classic written by Alan O’Bryant, and on the Ralph Stanley gospel song, “Heaven’s Bright Shore.” On the latter, hubby Jimmy serves up some nice background vocals.

Woolsey, besides doing some quite respectable rhythm and lead guitar work, also is whiskey smooth on Dobro as he tackles the old fiddle tune, “Red Haired Boy,” with Rothrock also maintaining the respectability level on mandolin.

Perhaps the CD’s best is saved for last, a tender-hearted tune called “If I Make It Out Alive.” Written by Woolsey, it employs lots of meaningful words, and gushes with sweet notes and chord changes to tell the story of life’s highway, of trying to do what’s right and best, but always finding those bumps and curves in the road. The production of the song uses some strings, and I really can’t make up my mind if they help or hinder the song’s terrific delivery. The strings are pretty much buried in the production, and again, I don’t know if I like the quietness — or if they should have cranked the strings up as the song swells with emotion.

Likewise, another ballad on the CD, one entitled “I Still Remember Her Name,” opens with an old, (I’m talking old) retro vinyl, sound. As in, crank up the Victrola. Again, I question whether the gimmick was really needed.

But those are tiny blemishes I ponder on an otherwise wonderful offering of original music, with a couple of classic gems tossed into the mix.

If I had to criticize anything with this CD, it’s this: The packaging. No, no, no, I’m not talking about the nice, cardboard foldout cover that’s gaining in popularity these days. That’s a nice touch and adds to the product’s professionalism. It’s this: I counted the CDs title, Bittersweet, printed 26 times on the covers. But I couldn’t find the names of the players anywhere.

James and Lynna, next time give yourselves — and your band mates — proper credit in bold type. You all deserve it.

Details at www.fieldsofhomebluegrass.com

By Dan Tackett