Search - Jim & Jesse :: Songs From the Homeplace

Like legends such as the Osborne Brothers before them, the McReynolds boys have turned up on Orlando, Florida's Pinecastle Records. Now in their 70s, Jim and Jesse are in a reflective mood, reviving the songs they knew when music was a family pastime, not a career. To wit, these cuts lean more toward traditional close-harmony country than true bluegrass; the exception is the closer "Long Journey Home," on which mandolinist Jesse and banjo man Allen Shelton show they can still hot-pick it when they choose. Mostly, they offer relaxed readings of chestnuts from people such as the Carters and Grandpa Jones, emphasizing heartfelt, delicate vocals over instrumental prowess. Emmylou Harris and producer Carl Jackson fill out the harmonies on two songs each. The only original, Jesse's "My Time Is Running Out," seemingly explains the impetus behind the record. He conjures up images of "the old red barn ? mama washing dirty clothes ? two little boys running around with a dirty nose ? and the cornfields where we used to work all day," reminding him "how time can slip away." --Marc Greilsamer