Search - Tommy Brown :: Mountain Bluegrass

Rustic essence -- a brand of bluegrass about as visceral &

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 11/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recreating a lively and rousing bluegrass sound of yesteryear is the vision of Tommy Brown and the Country Line Grass from Louisville, KY. They have another album called "Hard Drivin'"

on the Lavenir Records label which came on the heels of this successful Hay Holler label release in 2001 called "Mountain Bluegrass." That second album's title explains their music pretty well -- "Hard Drivin'." In this reviewer's opinion, their next project could very well be called "High Lonesome" or perhaps "High-Steppin'" or maybe even "Hell-Raisin'." You get the idea.



Tommy Brown and the CLG offer many quick paced musical romps here, and their get-up-and-go is at times reminiscent of Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys. There also offer new songs.



Banjo-player and lead singer Tommy Brown and his band play traditional bluegrass with pride. There's no self-consciousness here. They're fully aware of their band's identity, and they're fully comfortable with that. The band has two other lead vocalists, Glenn Alford and Paul Priest. Besides Priest on guitar, there are two other guitarists in the group - Brian Myers and Max Alford. Brian hails from Indiana and does some nice lead guitar work. On their "Hard Drivin'" album, Tommy Brown's young son, Jereme, even adds a second banjo and some vocal harmony to the mix. Paula "Boggie" Alford is the band's stable upright bass player.



Tommy Brown and the County Line Grass would be real crowd-pleasers at bluegrass festivals that have strongly traditional formats. They specialize in mountain-style bluegrass, with a unique blend of uptempo instrumentals and heartfelt songs. There's plenty on this disc to captivate a traditional bluegrass music fan. Their albums have a rustic essence, and the County Line Grass' brand of bluegrass is about as visceral and time-honored as it comes. Watch for their red and silver bus with the license plate that reads, "HRD DRV." (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

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