There
is always room for an alt-bluegrass band like Chatham County Line
in my album arsenal. I don’t know about the casual listener,
but if you’re like me you have a wide spectrum of genres
that you enjoy. A band like CCL fits perfectly on those laid-back
days and always fit in nicely when they pop up in shuffle play.
It also doesn’t hurt that this is the band’s
forth album, hence the title IV, and it is possibly their
best. The band themselves have always been musically sound and
their previous albums have walked a fairly straight bluegrass
line but on IV, CCL find a more expansive sound with
bigger harmonies and a slightly more band vibe even though their
core elements of keeping things mostly acoustic and the ever present
steel guitar are in full force.
Some credit for this should go to producer Chris
Stamey because he was a master of power-pop with the dB’s
but he did a great job of still letting CCL do their thing; because
IV is not a redirection, it is a refinement. With some
of the bigger songs on the album there are still several instrumentals
that showcase the bands roots and is a nod to longtime fans that
this is still the band they have always enjoyed.
If you’re up for a nice pure modern bluegrass
type album then Chatham County Line has released the record for
you that not only sounds great now, but will sound great 10 months
from now, with its timeless characteristics and harmonic catchiness.
Christopher Anthony
For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews,
check out The
Fire Note
To see a clip for 'Let it
Rock' from IV, click the play button below
There
is always room for an alt-bluegrass band like Chatham County Line
in my album arsenal. I don’t know about the casual listener,
but if you’re like me you have a wide spectrum of genres
that you enjoy. A band like CCL fits perfectly on those laid-back
days and always fit in nicely when they pop up in shuffle play.