| Liner notes: "Where Wood Meets Steel" Blue Moon Rising is a young East Tennessee band, formed in 2000, but they sound like seasoned veterans on this record. If you like bluegrass music, I guarantee you'll enjoy it. I've been familiar with Chris West for some time. He's one of the best unknown singers and guitar players in bluegrass, but if this recording gets wide distribution, that may change. His work with One Way Track was impressive, and he carries on the tradition here. Clean, powerful lead playing, expressive, in-tune singing and good songwriting that displays a great grasp of tradition-these qualities make him a valuable asset to any group. But this recording-and this band--is about much more than Chris. Keith Garrett is an exceptional, country-flavored singer and a fine mandolinist, and Justin Moses is a solid banjo player and talented multi-instrumentalist as well as a good tenor singer. Tim Tipton's bass holds it all together. Two good lead singers, plenty of songwriters and dead-on harmonies are a recipe for success. This album contains all new songs, many of them native to the band, and Blue Moon Rising has the talent to pull it off. Keith Garrett's 'Moonshine Hard Times' has the mournful, modal feel of a Dock Boggs or Larry Sparks song. Keith's singing sure stands out on this one. 'Papa Made a Livin' is a classic in waiting, in my opinion. Justin Moses's banjo tone fits the minor-key feel here perfectly-sounds like a tune that the Country Gentlemen of the mid-70s might have done. 'Take Me Back to Old Kentucky' features Keith's great mandolin break and fine singing. 'My Turn,' 'I Don't Want to Hear It,' and 'Highway of Despair'-all Chris West originals--sound like they could have been standards in bluegrass going back thirty years or more. 'A Boy Like Me' has the feel of early Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver material. 'When the Mountain Fell Down' is a Stanley-flavored lament in three-quarter time, while Susan Moses' gospel offering, 'You Are Not Alone' is a fine album-capper. Production values are high here. Once again, Rob Ickes proves that he can adapt chameleon-like to any bluegrass setting, providing just what's needed. Blue Moon Rising is certainly doing just that-rising and soaring as a matter of fact. This is one fine record, and it's safe to say that if these guys stay together and weather the rigors of the bluegrass road, you'll hear big noises from them on the national stage in years to come. Tim Stafford Kingsport, TN September, 2002 |
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