Audie Blaylock & Redline "Audie Blaylock & Redline" (Rural Rhythm)

Audie Blaylock & Redline (L-R) Jason Johnson, Patrick McAvinue, Evan Ward, Matt Wallace (sitting) and Audie Blaylock.

If you love bluegrass — nothing but bluegrass (Newgrass, acoustic and Americana don’t count; I said “nothing but bluegrass.”) — and you have a limited amount of cash in this brow-beaten, rag-tag economy to buy CDs this year, take my advice: Pick up a copy of Audie Blaylock and Redline.

If true unblemished bluegrass were part of a mountain scene, Blaylock’s new CD on the Rural Rhythm Records label would be the pure, clear stream bubbling through the middle of the picture.

I read a review of this CD a couple of weeks ago, before I had given it a spin, that said Blaylock and Red Line play bluegrass like it was played 50 years ago. Bingo! The statement is dead on. This is the real deal, nothing but pure Monroe doctrine stuff.

I never saw Blaylock in his days with Jimmy Martin, but I caught Rhonda Vincent’s act several times when Blaylock was in the Rage’s lineup. His blistering guitar work was impressive as were his backup vocals.

Now in the role of bandleader, Blaylock shows he can sing traditional bluegrass with the best of them. The opening track, “Whispering Waters,” is a loud statement to that fact — and the proof just keeps piling up with every track.

Redline, Blaylock’s four-piece band, follows suit carrying the torch of tradition, but very definitely showing the spark of youth with their instrumental work. They also shine vocally, with harmonies throughout and especially on the a capella rendition of “Who’ll Sing for Me?”

Members of the group are Jason Johnson on mandolin, fiddler Patrick McAvinue, Matt Wallace on bass and Evan Ward on banjo.

If the CD is lacking, it would have to be in the absence of a lot of Blaylock’s hot guitar picking that I really anticipated hearing on this CD. For the most part, Blaylock seems content simply laying down a solid, driving rhythm guitar track that has all the distinct signature bluegrass runs in all the right places.

All in all, however, Audie Blaylock and Redline is a power-house traditional bluegrass CD. Traditionalists will love it while those leaning more toward newgrass and other non-tradition forms of acoustic string music can get an enjoyable, ear-pleasing history lesson about how bluegrass sounded in an earlier era.