Search - Lou Reid & Carolina :: Time

Contemporary bluegrass with tender sentiments, lilting melod

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 10/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Playing Time - 44:25 -- Lou Reid sings about livin' the mountain way, but he also clearly shows how to play the mountain way too. With a fresh body of bluegrass material from excellent songwriters, Reid and Carolina show us why they're a notch above the rest of the pack. On "Time," he puts added emphasis on beautiful, life-affirming tales, courtesy of such songsmiths as Mike Evans, David Carroll, John Cadley, Shawn Camp, Mark Brinkman, Teddy Cosby, and others. A song like Ray Edwards/Terry Foust's "Carolina Morning Memory" captures much of the feeling and reason for the band's name in the first place. Carolina moon, Carolina rain, Carolina morning, and Carolina memories are all embodiments of this band's bluegrass. Reid's voice, as fine and steady as always, is centerstage most of the time, but Christy Reid and Kevin Richardson also get a chance to shine with some lead vocals on "Before Your First Tear Hits the Ground" and "Forever Ain't No Trouble Now," respectively. With a bit more tempo and some twin fiddles in a piece like "Forever Ain't No Trouble Now," Lou Reid and Carolina's music would hit me in the gut with an impact like the first time I heard Bill Monroe's. An uptempo song like "Tennessee Backroads" would have a little more bluegrass gusto by simply bringing the instrumental breaks, especially guitar and mandolin, front and center into our speakers. Their clean breaks deserve to be heard loudly, crisply and clearly.



Lou was born on a North Carolina tobacco farm and grew up around music. His impressive bluegrass experience includes stints with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Ricky Skaggs, Seldom Scene, and Longview. Also from North Carolina, Christy Reid's grandfather was a fiddle champion at the first Union Grove Fiddler's Convention, and her cousin (Kent Dowell) played with the Country Gentlemen.. Her previous bands have included Grass Vibrations, 220 Connection, and Southern Drive (a 2000 International Pizza Hut Showdown winner). Christy and Lou married in Florida on 04/12/04. Banjo-player Trevor Watson contributes a hard-driving style to the Carolina sound. His mother and father both played bluegrass, and Trevor was picking by age eight. Trevor won first place in the "bluegrass banjo" contest at the Galax Old-time Fiddler's Convention. His former bands include Blue Night, Foxfire Unlimited (Bluegrass Band contest winners at the 1988 Galax Fiddlers' Convention), and with the cast of The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach. Guitarist Kevin Richardson has been playing since age 5. He's won many ribbons in Fiddler's Competitions across the Southeast. Last but not least, Joe Hannabach plays bass for Carolina. As a band, Carolina received the "Emerging Artist of the Year" Award at IBMA's 1994 World of Bluegrass Awards in Owensboro, KY.



On "Time," instrumental guests include Jerry Douglas, Ron Stewart, and Randy Kohrs. Some vocal guests include Ricky Skaggs and Vince Gill on the title cut, along with Harold Nixon on acoustic bass. A Buck Owens/Red Simpson song, "Heart of Glass" also includes James Mitchell's high strung guitar and Chris Wood's snare drum in the mix. The credits say it's also known as a "slap guitar" for the bluegrass purists. The songs give us imagery with plenty of comforting warmth. The band's contemporary bluegrass has tender sentiments, lilting melodies, and gentle rhythms. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)



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