Grasstowne "The Other Side of Towne" (Pinecastle Records)

“The Other Side of Towne,” Grasstowne’s cleverly named new CD, is a testament to long-time friendship and musical alliances. Dobro player Phil Leadbetter, mandolinist Alan Bibey and soulful singer and guitarist Steve Gulley have played music together since they were youngin’s in the bluegrass business.

Their careers have led them down different paths playing with different bands, but a few years ago the trio decided to revive their alliance in a big way and take it down a different path. Grasstowne was the result, and the band put together its first CD,”The Road Headin’ Home,” which ran up to the top of the bluegrass charts in 2007.

“The Other Side of Towne,” due out on streets Oct. 20 has the potential to start climbing the ladder. It’s a solid effort by solid veterans of the business. Not only are vocals and instrumentation strong, Gulley and Bibey step out on the songwriting end of things.

The Gulley co-written “Lifting Up the Cross” just has a great feel about it. It has the uncanny knack to sound like an old-timey gospel song that’s been baptized with fresh morning dew. “God Bless Mommy,” written by Craig Market and Wayne Winkel, is a touching song about a broken family and a young girl’s prayer that all will be made right. It’s a nice piece of writing.

The CD has one real treasure for Steve Gulley fans — another George Jones tear-jerker. Gulley’s most requested song in concert is “The Grand Tour,” a Jones classic. On “The Other Side of Town,” Gulley picks out the Billy Sherrill/Norris Wilson classic, “The Door.” And, Gulley milks and milks and milks every note and phrase for what it’s worth. And, it’s worth a lot.

Besides the trio of veterans, Grasstowne includes banjo picker Jason Davis and bass player Travis Greer, although the band’s Web site notes that veteran sideman Dale Perry is now playing bass with the group.

Guest artists include fiddler Stuart Duncan sawing his magic on several tracks and Terry Baucom, who adds a bass vocal track on one cut.

Grasstowne’s new effort is due out in just a few days — and it’s definitely worth the wait.

Editor’s Note: Pinecastle Records originally planned to release the CD on October 6 but have pushed the official release back to October 20. However, “The Other Side of Towne” is already available for download at favorite retailers such as iTunes, Napster, and Amazon among others.