So some days everything I listen to is enjoyable and well other days it’s just so-so! Guess which one today was! Well not the former – yes it’s Twangy Tuesday and I went looking for some new twang mostly on the bluegrass side. I started by listening to an album that I was really looking forward to hearing The Boxcars self-titled release. I was looking forward to it because two of my favorites are in the band Adam Steffey and Rob Stewart both two of the best pickers around. Steffey won two IBMA awards in 2010 one for mandolin player of the year and the second an Instrumental Performance Award. But after two listens to the first part of the album I just can’t warm up to it – now I’m not writing it off yet – it may be on a different day or on a more thorough listen, I’ll really like it! Let’s hope!.
After The Boxcars I listened to a few tracks from the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band and their 2008 release Barnyard Frolic again while it was good the album just didn’t grab me – like I said maybe it was just the day. After lunch and reading a comment on my Favorite Bluegrass Bands of 2010 post at No Depression that I should check out Frank Solivan and the Dirtykitchen I went to Rhapsody and the album was not there but Frank’s 2006 release Selfish Tears was, so I gave it a listen – hum some good picking and singing. This one did catch my attention so I kept it in the back of my mind. After dinner I checked out a couple of albums from the bluegrass charts at the Roots Music Report Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers’ Rambler’s Call and Ned Crisp and Bottomline’s Taking the Back Roads Home both good traditional bluegrass albums but again they didn’t quite fit my mood tonight!
Later I checked out Brandon Jenkins’ album Brothers of the Dirt. This album is more like what I am looking for the first track “Blood for Oil” was good and then I kinda lost interest! So far all of the albums were pretty good and all deserve another listen on another night! So at the end of the night I listened to Frank Solivan again and that one does have some really good tracks on it and will definitely get another listen. Oh no I remember the closing track “Scorchin’ the Gravy”. Now that was what I was looking for!! So let’s listen tomorrow and maybe I’ll find Frank Solivan and Dirtykitchen which is probably pretty damn good! Maybe I should start at their Myspace Page Yeah, that’s the ticket!!
Here they are performing “Somebody’s Missing You”!