Nothin Fancy - Lord Bless This House (Pinecastle Records)

I’ve said it before, allow me to repeat myself: Nothin’ Fancy is somethin’ special.

Affirmation of that fact shouts from the Virginia-based group’s new CD, Lord Bless This House, being released on Pinecastle Records’ label and bearing the label’s 20th anniversary logo.

If you can’t agree with my “somethin’ special” description of the five-piece group, certainly you will concede my contention that Nothin’ Fancy is unique. Mike Andes, the band’s mandolin player, chief songsmith and lead vocalist, has a wonderful, crisp vocal style that just doesn’t fit the typical bluegrass singer’s mold. The group also boasts a classical violinist as its fiddle player. Chris Sexton can — and typically does — wow the band’s audiences, not only with some rather outrageous bluegrass fiddle licks, but also with the skills he honed while attending conservatory classes.

And, the band’s repertoire is just one incredibly mixed bag of great Andes originals, bluegrass classics, off-the-wall stuff such as rocker Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” and a fair portion of pioneering Newgrass classics made famous decades ago by The Country Gentleman.

I think I’ve accumulated most the band’s CDs over the years and haven’t been disappointed by a single cut in the bunch. Their song selection, production and no-holding-back performances on their recordings assure a Nothin’ Fancy CD will deliver a pretty good bang for the musical buck. That’s exactly what I anticipated when I sat back to listen to Lord Bless This House. My expectation was indeed fulfilled.

“Lord Bless This House,” the title cut, was penned by Andes, who wrote the piece to perform at a friend’s house-warming party. It’s pretty easy to imagine the warmth, tears of joy and other heart-felt emotions the song evoked the first time it was performed at this event. There’s nothin’ fancy in the lyrics here, just simple and easy words woven into a message that’s aimed squarely at us salt-of-the-earth types who cherish our home-based lifestyles.

Mike Andes, who also has another original on the CD, “God’s Heavenly Shore,” is in some prestigious and eclectic songwriting company on the CD. Let’s drop a few names — Bill Carlisle, the Easter family, Hank Williams, Wayne Raney, Tom T. and Dixie Hall, Bill Withers and Thomas Dorsey, the pioneering gospel songwriter from Chicago, (and not the Tommy Dorsey of Big Band Era fame.)

The Easters’ contribution, “Heart That Will Never Break Again,” features vocal assistance from Rhonda Vincent, the CD’s co-producer. Sharing the production chores is her brother Darin Vincent, who adds some mandolin fills throughout the CD.

As evidence Nothin’ Fancy isn’t afraid to tackle darn near anything, one of my favorite cuts is the old R&B tune from Bill Withers’ pen, “Lean on Me.” I wonder, will you find this inspiring song on any other bluegrass gospel CD? Makes no difference, it works — and works so well here. Sexton’s rare lead vocal performance on this cut is a jewel. The song is also becoming a new crowd favorite at the band’s concerts.

Another tune I really didn’t expect to see on this all-gospel CD is the classic instrumental, “Bells of Saint Mary,” which gives the band an opportunity to stretch out on their instruments.

Wayne Raney’s gospel classic, “Soul of Man Never Dies,” highlights the band’s vocal strengths — and Nothin’ Fancy’s ability to just get down and romp in traditional bluegrass fashion when the occasion calls for it. Gary Farris has a terrific high-harmony vocal style that adds much to this band’s signature sound. He also steps up to sing lead on the tradition, “Lord I Hear Your Call.”

I mention this group’s “signature sound,” and Nothin’ Fancy certainly has honed a style that sets it apart from the traditional bluegrass band. In the same breath, I have to ask: Why wouldn’t this group have a signature sound? The members have been playing together for 15 years, quite a feat when you consider all the shuffling of bluegrass musicians these days.)

Banjo player Mitchell Davis and Tony Shorter (bass player / baritone vocalist) are part of that sound — and their contributions to Lord Bless This House surely can’t be overlooked. They are big cogs in Nothin’ Fancy’s well-oiled music machine. Cody Kilby joins the band here as guest guitarist on all the cuts.

If you’re a Nothin’ Fancy fan, you’ll surely want to get your hands on this CD. If you haven’t yet been introduced to the group, Lord Bless This House would be a fine way to get acquainted.