Jun 10
The Infamous Stringdusters up the ante on new Sugar Hill Release
The Infamous Stringdusters - “The Infamous Stringdusters” (Sugar Hill Records)The Infamous Stringdusters stunned the bluegrass world at last years IBMA awards. The ‘Dusters, you might recall, took home the awards for Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and they also recorded the IBMA’s “Song of the Year” which was the title track from Fork in the Road, their debut on Sugar Hill Records. Not to bad for a band who at the time had a single CD to their credit.
On the group’s second release, the self-titled The Infamous Stringdusters, the band delivers a set of material that coalesces a near perfect balance of traditional bluegrass sensibility, newgrass’s aversion to the norm and jamgrass’s explorative instrumentation.
The band’s song-writing abilities are at the heart of the project. Members of the band wrote or co-wrote nine of the CD’s thirteen songs. Personal standouts on the CD include: Travis Book’s “Won’t Be Coming Back,” “You Can’t Handle The Truth” (co-written with Tim Stafford & Benny Galloway) and “Bound For Tennessee” along with Jesse Cobb’s “Golden Ticket,” an instrumental which feels like a tip of the hat to New Grass Revival who paved the way for this fork in the road if you will.
“Three Days in July” by John Weisenberger & Mark Simos, “I Wonder” by John Pennell (co-writer on “Fork in the Road) & Jeff White, “Get it While You Can” by Edward D. Barnes and Sarah Siskind’s “Lovin’ You” are the cover tunes on the album.
The Infamous Stringdusters are Travis Book (bass), Jesse Cobb (mandolin), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (Fiddle), Andy Hall (dobro) and Chris Pandolfi (banjo).
The Infamous Stringdusters also feature a triple threat in the vocal department with three very capable lead singers. Jeremy Garrett, Travis Book and Andy Hall trade off on lead vocal duties throughout the CD and the diversity makes an already great album that much more interesting to listen to.
Travis Book’s “Won’t Be Coming Back,” a song about leavin’ home to find your way in life, pretty much sums up The Infamous Stringdusters musically speaking. A lot of respect and reverance for tradition and a strong desire to explore and bring something new to the music.
On this release, The Infamous Stringdusters prove “Fork in the Road” wasn’t beginner’s luck. While the music on “The Infamous Stringdusters” looks forward… to the future of bluegrass, There’s more than plenty of respect and tradition alive in the instrumentation and spirit of the music.
“Won’t Be Coming Back” - The Infamous Stringdusters
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