Dry Branch delivers some gold with the dirt

Dry Branch Fire Squad "Echoes of the Mountains" (Rounder)

Spring will soon ascend on my neck of the Illinois prairie and with it, the sweet smell of spaded earth as I prepare to put in some early garden crops like radishes, lettuce, onions — you know, the salad stuff.

There’s nothing quite like that smell. It’s fresh, it’s sweet, it’s … well, it’s just downright earthy.

I swear, I got a slight whiff of that magical smell when I wrestled with the cellophane wrapping to free Echoes of the Mountains, the latest Rounder CD by Dry Branch Fire Squad. And, if that was merely a whiff, the earthiness was overpowering coming from the speakers. Dry Branch Fire Squad delivers pure earthiness on this CD.

Earthiness is an adjective that also aptly describes band leader Ron Thomason’s voice. No polish here, no time for a vocal coach. But, none needed, thank you. It would ruin everything that’s special.

I like the way Dry Branch apparently records a CD. I’m assuming they find some earthy and powerful material, work up some quick and not too polished arrangements and head into the studio and simply record what’s in their souls and psyches. At least, that’s the way Echoes of the Mountains comes across.

It’s a far cry from background music. Each tune beckons the listener to listen — and to do so intently. There’s the sad dog tale, “Echo Mountain;” the plaintiff story based on a true, ugly episode of settling Western America called “Rider on an Orphan Train;” and the Carter family’s “Little Joe.”

Thomason, known for his left-of-center wit, delivers the same (or does he, ponders liner notes author Tom Adams) with “(You’ve Got to Pray to the Lord) When You See Those Flying Saucers.” The band does great covers of “Seven Spanish Angels” and the old Sam Cooke R&B classic, “Bring It On Home to Me.”

Dry Branch Fire Squad (L to R:) Dan Russell, Brian Aldridge, Tom Boyd, Ron Thomason

And, what a touching tribute Thomason comes up with on his melodic rendition of “O Captain! My Captain!,” American poet Walt Whitman’s classic tribute he wrote after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. How fitting it is for Dry Branch to include this on the 200th anniversary year of the 16th President’s birth.Thomason sings the melody and is accompanied only by his own subdued clawhammer banjo.

Thomason, clearly this group’s leader, still insists he’s just part of the band. And, a fine band it is, one that fits what Dry Branch Fire Squad is all about. There’s nothing here instrumentally to knock your socks off, but the instrumentation is as solid as the bedrock under the rich, black dirt. Members include Brian Aldridge on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Tom Boyd on banjo, dobro and vocals; Dan Russell, bass, banjo and vocals; and Thomason on mandolin, guitar, clawhammer banjo, percussion and vocals.

Fiddler Michael Cleveland guests on two tunes.

If you have a hankerin’ to smell that dirt, but snow’s still lingering on the seed bed, do yourself a favor. Get a copy of Echoes of the Mountains.