Blue Highway "Through the Window of a Train" (Rounder)

The Vaughns "Leavin' You"

The Kruger Brothers "The Suite" (Double Time Music)

Lonesome River Band "No Turning Back" (Rural Rhythm Records)

Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad "Pickin' Praisin' & Singin'" (Rural Rhythm Records)

Nothin' Fancy "Lord Bless This House" (Pinecastle Records)

I’m a bit amazed, perhaps even overwhelmed, at the number of high-quality bluegrass CDs hitting the market these days.

I’m talking about the good stuff here, albums that truly do perk up the ears, the ones you just keep in your player because they’re so good, so polished, some so unique you just can’t stop listening.

That’s how I’m gauging my Top 5 Bluegrass CDs of 2008, selecting the ones I just can’t file away and forget. I’d venture a bet that come this time next year, some of my 2008 favorites might be filed away (but not forgotten and definitely not doomed to silence) as the avalanche of quality recorded material just keeps rolling in.

Here are my picks:

No. 1: Through the Window of Train by Blue Highway

For me, the No. 1 CD of the year was a no-brainer. I can’t say enough good things about Blue Highway’s Through the Window of a Train.

The title cut, written by band member Tim Stafford and Grasstowne’s Steve Gulley, is one of many tracks on this album to reflect powerful and profound songwriting skills. “Through the Window of a Train,” which incidentally was the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Song of the Year for 2008, reflects on a different era, when time and travel moved a little slower and personal relationships held a bit more value than in today’s rocket-paced lifestyle.

On this CD, Blue Highway tackled some heavy social issues, including homelessness, the incarcerated and the bloodshed of American soldiers in far-off lands. In every instance, the songs delivering those social messages are shaped as stories, pulling the listener perhaps deeper into America’s problems than any sound bite or video clip on the evening news could do.

The delivery, both vocally and instrumentally, is as stellar as the songwriting on this album.

In a nutshell, if you haven’t yet looked at life today “Through the Window of a Train,” I’d strongly recommend hopping on this Blue Highway gem. The songs are timeless and once they’re ingrained in your psyche, they won’t be easily forgotten.

No 2: Leavin’ You, The Vaughns

Who in God’s green earth, you might be asking, are The Vaughns?

Well, you’re absolutely correct, a band by that name didn’t win any IBMA awards this year. In fact, I don’t think The Vaughns even performed in a newcomer showcase at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass. Did this West Virginia family band even make SPBGMA’s nominee list? I don’t think so.

But none of that makes any difference.The Vaughns , to date only regional in fame, are terrific, and their 2008 CD, Leavin’ You, simply sparkles with good material and high-quality deliveries. The CD contains five original numbers, including “Old Bear,” a great dog song written by David Vaughn, who is one of the band’s key ingredients. Not only does Vaughn spin a good yarn in song, he has a soulful, raw-edge voice that slices through the mix.

Also worthy of being singled out in this group is Molly Matheny, who contributes a heaping amount of tasty fiddle to the band’s refreshing sound. Matheny is also a very capable vocalist. Her duet with David Vaughn on the John Denver classic, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is about as soulful as soulful gets.

The group also tackles some older, traditional material here with new gusto. “Nine Pound Hammer,” for instance, finds a real zest at The Vaughns’ hands.

It’s interesting to note that this exceptionally good and exceptionally sounding CD was recorded in the small and relatively unknown J & V Audio studio in West Virginia. Studio owner John Titus and David Vaughn co-produced the project.

I make no apologies to bluegrass music’s major labels and popular studios in selecting this relatively unknown CD as one of 2008’s best. Instead, I’d highly recommend they seek this group out with a contract in hand. The Vaughns are winners.

No. 3: The Suite, The Kruger Brothers

Here I go, only at my third pick and I’m probably irritating some of the die-hard traditionalists out there with this Kruger Brothers selection.

Well, I’ll be the first to concede: The Krugers have taken their music to a different planet. But, that’s a good thing because, you see, it’s a great musical planet to land on. Not only that, Swiss-born Jens and Uwe Kruger and their bass-playing sidekick Joel Landsberg of The Big Apple have not forgotten their home planet. This trio returns often to the roots of bluegrass music — and no one does it any better than the Krugers, as evidenced by the very listenable CD, The Suite. The CD’s concept was to weave one original tune into another, kind of like a long symphony that flows like a placid stream.

Even though the Krugers’ roots are firmly planted in bluegrass and the acoustic music of Appalachia, The Suite, like many of the brothers’ offerings, is spiced with jazz, rock, rock-a-billy and classical passages.

The Suite, in my humble estimation, was one of 2008’s sweetest.

No. 4: No Turning Back by The Lonesome River Band

This one came in just under the wire to make the 2008 list. Although I got my hands on a copy in late October, a friend of mine snatched it away before I could give it a listen. I almost had to beg to get it back, but I finally reclaimed possession in December. After one listen, I understood my friend’s reluctance to let it go. No Turning Back is dynamite.

The Lonesome River Band has the knack of delivering its own brand of newgrass and convincing the listener it’s pure, hard-driven traditional bluegrass. Believe me, banjo player Sammy Shelor and his merry band of musicians are anything but purely traditional. At times, they come across as a bluegrass band with a rock ‘n’ roll attitude.

Two former members of the band — guitarist and vocalist Brandon Rickman and fiddler Mike Hartgrove — are back in the lineup on this CD. It’s also the first Lonesome River Band CD to feature new members bassist Mike Anglin and Andy Ball on mandolin and vocals.

Rickman and Ball handle most of the lead vocal work on No Turning Back, and the difference in their styles and deliveries gives the band a real edge. Ball can dish up high-lonesome with the best, but he can also deliver a sophisticated tenor lead, as he does on this CD with “Darkness Wept,” a moving song about Christ’s crucifixion. Rickman, on the other hand, is soulful, sometimes whiskey-smooth, sometimes rough-edged with his vocal styles. He’s also a good songwriter.

And Shelor? He’s as tasty and hard-hitting as ever with his banjo work.

In summary, the Lonesome River Band has built a reputation as one of bluegrass’s most powerful bands. No Turning Back puts a bold-faced explanation point on that statement.

No. 5 (a tie): Pickin,’ Praisin’ & Singin’ by Pine Mountain Railroad and Lord Bless This House by Nothin’ Fancy

Two gospel CDs? Yep. And, they’re both so listenable in different ways that reflect the different styles of these two groups.

Pine Mountain Railroad is formally known these days as Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad. Shuler, obviously, leads and manages this band, which is about as straight-ahead bluegrass as it gets. In contrast, the members of Nothin’ Fancy float down a different river that takes in scenes of the traditional and the not-so-traditional.

The Pine Mountain Railroad CD opens with a rousing song, “My Eyes Shall Be On Canaan’s Land,” that Shuler wrote. It sounds like an instant gospel classic, something that Albert Brumley would have been happy to put his name on. Pickin,’ Praising’ and Singin’ contains a lot of traditional gospel songs that simply beg the listener to join in. The CD contains lot of the hymns and gospels songs I grew up listening to, and they’re delivered in such a genuine, down-home fashion that it’s difficult not to sing along.

Nothin’ Fancy’s CD, the band’s first all-gospel project, contains a few of those old nuggets we all sang in church on Sunday morning, but, typical of this band, the CD also ventures out of the mainstream. Mandolin player and lead vocalist Mike Andes wrote the title cut, a beautiful song he penned for a friend’s housewarming party. The group also tackles an old rhythm and blues number, “Lean on Me,” which I easily peg as the shining diamond of the CD.

Nothin’ Fancy, despite that monicker, can be quite fancy in the music the band delivers, thanks a great deal to their outstanding vocal work. And, having a first-class classical violinist (Chris Sexton) as the group’s fiddle player doesn’t hurt a bit when it comes to delivering something fancy. Lord Bless This House contains that fancy element, but not to the point of even slightly tainting just a downright, good gospel fest.

So, those are my favorites of the year just passed. I’d like to know what you think of my selections. And, I’d like to know what your favorite CD acquisitions of the past year are. Let me know. Post a comment below.

Let me closing by wishing BluegrassJournal.com readers a very happy, healthy and successful New Year — and may the road you’re on always end at a bluegrass festival. See you somewhere down the line, probably at one of those festivals.