Dec 14
Dailey & Vincent (Rounder Records)
Dailey & Vincent - Rounder RecordsHere comes Santa Claus? No, here comes the hype. And more hype. And even more hype — not about Santa, but about Dailey & Vincent and their debut CD, which Rounder Records will release Jan. 29.
Well, here’s a case where hype has nothing to do with political spin — or even Santa Claus. The hype isn’t even hype; it’s honest-to-goodness chest-beating.
“Dailey & Vincent,” the self-titled CD, is the real deal. I mean, it’s really, really, really the real deal — dead-on bluegrass that smokes, a slight touch of classic country that soothes, some pretty heavy gospel messages that make one pause and reflect. It’s all here in one package.
In fact, my first listen to the tracks produced a guilty feeling for ever thinking all the hype was just so much hype.
“Dailey & Vincent,” the new kids on the bluegrass circuit, are no strangers to their audience. Jamie Dailey spent nearly a decade in the spotlight with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Darrin Vincent’s last decade has been spent with Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder. They’re no kids, but seasoned pros — and it shows on all 12 songs on their self-produced CD.
People who are becoming fans of the group before the duo even officially hits the road are going to have a melt-down over the CD’s vocal efforts.
It should be said from the outset that Dailey and Vincent hold nothing — absolutely nothing — back with their vocal efforts on this CD. People who are becoming fans of the group before the duo even officially hits the road are going to have a melt-down over the CD’s vocal efforts. They are tops, bar none, with the kind of high, crystal clear harmonies that produce goose-bumps and threaten to crack fine glassware.
The CD opens with a real barn-burner, “Sweet Carrie,” that has the project starting out in overdrive. But, then the tempo and the mood change dramatically, with the old Statler Brothers tune, “More Than a Name on a Wall,” one of two songs on the CD written by former Statler, Jimmy Fortune.
The other fortune from Fortune (sorry, it just lends itself) is “I Believe,” a powerful and moving gospel song.
Rounder’s promotional material also singles out another cut, “Place on Calvary,” written by Langdon Reid that the Statlers recorded in 2002 and performed during their farewell concert. The CD, Rounder publicists point out, is full of Statler influences.
The Dailey Vincent Band photo by Paul WhartonI’ll grant Rounder’s writers their dues on the Statlers’ influence on “More Than a Name on the Wall.” Beyond that cut, however, I keep hearing a lot of Louvin Brothers harmonies on many of the cuts, perhaps a slight touch of the Skaggs/Tony Rice influence on a couple of songs that use only guitar and mandolin for backup.
Dailey gets songwriting credits on two songs on the CD — “My Savior Walks With Me Today,” which he wrote with his old boss, Doyle Lawson; and “Poor Boy Workin’ Blues,” a solo writing effort.
The musicianship comes close to matching the stellar vocal work. This duo leaned on the core of their newly selected road band as well as some of bluegrass’s top pickers to support them. Road band members on the project are Jeff Parker, a bluegrass veteran on mandolin, and Joe Dean, only 18, on banjo. Dailey plays guitar and Vincent, bass, guitar and mandolin.
Others in the supporting cast are Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, Andy Leftwich and Cody Kilby.
We feel fortunate to have an advance copy of “Dailey & Vincent.” It’s a great, early Christmas gift. If you can’t wait until the Jan. 29 release, Rounder has some teaser sound clips on its Web site. Note, I said “teasers,” not “hype.”
My rating on this CD? I’ll give it a KB-12, Killer Bluegrass on all 12 tracks.
- Dan Tackett
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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