Melonie Cannon

I think I swerved. Just a bit. But just a bit at 70 mph can be unnerving.

I’d left home shortly after my Sunday breakfast and had a 25-mile ride down the interstate ahead of me to my destination. Before leaving the house, I’d grabbed a couple of CDs that I’d put off reviewing for too long. I decided on Melonie Cannon’s new release, And the Wheels Turn.

I unwrapped this 2008 Rural Rhythm release and, without so much as a glance at any of the liner notes, popped it in the car player and backed out the drive. Nice mellow start, I thought, and the lyrics to “Cactus in a Coffee Can” immediately grabbed me. From the get-go, I could only guess that this was going to be a great story song. And, I wasn’t disappointed. Track One is indeed a great song, a touching, sad story that the singer’s dad, music producer Buddy Cannon, had stashed away in his “special song box” to offer up to just the right artist to record. It was quite a gift from father to daughter.

Never mind that “Cactus in a Coffee Can,” written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin, is not bluegrass. It was definitely a great performance by a singer who conveyed the right emotions and was backed by very capable musicians who put just the right icing on this piece of cake .

Track Two, “Dark Shadows” by Stephen Mougin, was, without a doubt, bluegrass in every sense of the word. Fiddle, banjo, mandolin, all the “right” instrumentation was there. And so went the rest of the album — something a little soft and sweet and then balanced with a track that touched on something approaching bluegrass.

My little green Chevy hummed and purred along on the interstate until I was into Track Seven. That’s when I swerved. After all, it’s not every day that Willie Nelson’s voice comes blaring out of the speakers on a CD that’s being marketed to the bluegrass crowd. And, hey, isn’t that Willie and his undeniable nylon-string, beaten, battered and splintered guitar takin the lead instrumental break on this song?

As soon as I reached my destination, I yanked out the inside sleeve to see what the heck was going on. Sure enough, Willie’s singing and Willie’s pickin’ on this song, “Back to Earth.” And yep, it was written by Willie. One of his mellow heart-touching efforts, in fact. Not one, not two, but three reasons to swerve. I quickly imagined myself getting pulled over by a highway patrol officer on the suspicion of reckless driving, maybe even worse, something like driving under the influence, and me pleading in defense: “But officer, you gotta listen to this song. You’ll understand.”

Cannon, indeed, is a wonderful singer and songwriter, with several contributions with her name affixed to the writing credits on a number of tunes on “And the Wheels Turn.” But is she or her songs bluegrass?

On one hand, CDs like Cannon’s puzzle me somewhat. What’s going on here, I ponder. Is this aimed at the bluegrass crowd? The Top 40 country crowd? Or perhaps to a bigger label that can offer a greater promise of bigger tours, bigger arenas and even grander CD productions in the future?

On the other hand, something tells me not to fret, just let the music speak for itself. And Cannon and her collection of songs on And the Wheels Turn speak pretty loudly that this is solidly good music. It’s all genuine stuff. No bubble gum. No powder puffs. Just good stuff. It will please some in the bluegrass crowd just as it will please some in the country crowd, at least those left there who can still appreciate well-crafted and talented songwriting and performance.

I’ll have to say, my favorite on Cannon’s CD is the great Vern Gosdin country hit from a couple of decades ago, “Set ‘em Up, Joe.” The song, a darn near perfect honky-tonkin’, barroom jukebox blaster, was written by Cannon’s dad, Gosdin and two other country songwriting giants, Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon.

Cannon’s pleasant voice is well-served here by some great studio production and by a lengthy list of musicians who are at the top of the bluegrass and acoustic music game.

And the Wheels Turn is a very listenable CD. Just be forewarned if you’re headed down the highway at 70 mph on your first listening, at some point Willie’s gonna pop out of your speakers.