Drew Emmitt released “Long Road” on Compass Records July 15.

Nashville, Tenn. — Drew Emmitt, vocalist and mandolin player for Leftover Salmon, is revered as one of the most energetic and innovative mandolin players on the jamband/newgrass scene today. On his new album, Long Road, Emmitt’s “inestimable talents” (An Honest Tune) don’t end with just the instruments that can be picked. Holding the wheel steady on acoustic and electric slide mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar and mandola, Long Road also showcases Emmitt’s superlative storytelling and versatile vocal abilities.

With seven originals, including co-writes with John Cowan (”Long Road”) and Jim Lauderdale (”I’m Alive”), Emmitt saavily chose a few best-of-life-on-the-road songs, such as Supertramps’ “Take the Long Way Home”, Marshall-Tucker Band’s “Take the Highway”, and Van Morrison’s “Gypsy in my Soul”.

Co-produced by Emmitt and Compass Records co-founder Garry West, “my heaven band”, is how Emmitt describes the special guest musicians on Long Road: Billy Nershi of The String Cheese Incident (dobro), Chris Pandolfi of The Infamous Stringdusters (banjo), Andy Hall of The Infamous Stringdusters (dobro), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Tim O’Brien (harmony vocals), Alison Brown (banjo), Darrell Scott (vocals), Eric Thorin (bass), Jeff Sipe of Leftover Salmon and The Aquarium Rescue Unit (drums), John Cowan (vocals), Reese Wynans (Hammond B3), Steven Sandifer (percussion) and Tyler Grant (guitar). Hallelujah.

In addition to appearances with Leftover Salmon and the Emmitt-Nershi Band, the Drew Emmitt Band will tour the US with The Waybacks fall 2008.

You can also visit Drew Emmitt on MySpace.