The Gibson Brothers “Iron & Diamonds” (Sugar Hill) will be released April 8, 2008

I have quite a music collection, thousands of CDs, tapes and vinyl.

I’ve scoured the record stores for years, looking for the latest diamond in the rough. I liken it to a miner who is panning for gold, looking for that shiny chunk.

The Gibson Brothers’ latest release on Sugar Hill, “Iron & Diamonds,” happens to be one of those gems.

I listened to this disc with an old music buddy of mine, whose opinion I greatly respect. He proclaimed it the best bluegrass CD he’s heard in years.

All I know is that I’ve had this darn disc for about a week now and I just can’t seem to stop playing it.

The first song you hear coming through the speakers is a great remake of an old Tom Petty rave-up, “Cabin Down Below.” I’ve loved that song for years and never in my wildest dreams envisioned it to appear on a bluegrass recording. It works. As far as I’m concerned, this song kicks off a disc that has absolutely no weak songs.

There is a remake of a Steve Earle song, “The Other Side Of Town.” This currently is my favorite song on the disc. It reminds me of what could have been an old Ray Price classic. Eric Gibson mentions in the liner notes, he feels his brother Leigh’s harmony is reminiscent of Price. It has that fantastic, traditional country sound.

Another great lost gem the brothers found off the Faron Young box set, the one from the German Bear Family label, is” A World So Full of Love,” written by Young and the late, great Roger Miller. Here lies another song that sounds fresh and vital today but still has that archetypal country sound.

Leigh Gibson provides vocals and guitar while Eric Gibson contributes vocals, banjo, and guitar. Mike Barber plays upright bass, Clayton Campbell provides a very adequate fiddle, and Rick Hayes offers striking mandolin work. Junior Barber plays a more than competent resonator guitar on the disc. The instruments are beautiful, never getting in the way of the magnificent harmonies of the brothers.

While on the topic pertaining to the harmonies, I am reminded of the breathtaking sound of early Everly Brothers. One of my favorite discs of the Everlys is the classic, “Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.” For some reason , I thought about that disc quite a bit while listening to this recording. This CD holds much of that same old time sound and charm.

Erin LaClair provides vocals on an old Bill Carlisle gospel classic, “Gone Home.” I guess the Gibson boys lifted this from the old Hee Haw gospel quartet classics that would occasionally pop up on the popular television series. “Gone Home” closes out the disc and is a fitting gospel song that beckons you to remember the loved ones who have gone on before us to their heavenly abode.

The Gibson Brothers

This concludes all the cover tunes on the disc with the exception of a fine Julie Miller song, “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go.”

Record companies often coerce artists to play something old and familiar to heighten sales. Many times on recordings, the cover tunes are the highlights of a disc. That’s not necessarily the case here. I’m here to tell you, I am in no way slighting the songs the brothers have written on this disc. They are extremely insightful as songwriters. Every one of their songs fits into the overall magic of this disc.

The title track, “Iron & Diamonds” is a powerful song about iron ore miners playing baseball. This game of baseball brought the miners a bit of joy they lacked while working deep in the mines. It offered pride and dignity in the bleachers and the batter’s box, where a miner could be free. Here was some deep and powerful insight into the psyches of these hard working individuals.

“Pickers Blues” is a powerful song form the perspective of musicians loving what they do. It’s not about the money any more than it is about the hardships on the road. The power lies in the music. The ability to create, to play and share with individuals who appreciate it, is what this song and the Gibson Brothers seem to be all about.

I caught these guys a while back at a festival and thoroughly enjoyed their performance. I’ll go beyond that and say I felt they were very special as performers. The old adage concerning performers leaving their audience wanting more was certainly applicable after their presentation on that particular summer day.

I regretfully, didn’t buy any of their CDs that day. I’ll have to resolve that issue in future trips to the music stores. If “Iron & Diamonds” is any indication of the music these guys have in them, let their precious gems keep coming.

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