Name: Fly Through the Country & When the Storm Is Over
Brand: Flying Fish Records
SKU: 86749
Price: 14.13 USD
Availability: InStock

Fly Through the Country & When the Storm Is Over

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Album: Fly Through the Country & When the Storm Is Over
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Four Days of Rain
2)	White Freightliner Blues
3)	Sail to Australia
4)	When the Storm Is Over
5)	And He Says "I Love You"
6)	Vamp in the Middle
7)	Like a Child in the Rain
8)	Tennessee Wagoner
9)	Colly Davis
10)	Crooked Smile

Performer Notes

Fly Through the Country/When the Storm Is Over is a two-for-one deal, representing New Grass Revival releases from 1976 and 1977 respectively. Mandolin player Sam Bush, bassist John Cowan, guitarist Curtis Burch, and banjoist Courtney Johnson form the core of the band on these 20 selections. This material separates itself from traditional bluegrass by its easy air and romantic sensibility. One has a difficult time imagining Ralph Stanley or any traditional act choosing to sing Townes Van Zandt's "White Freightliner Blues." The disc kicks off with a nice version of John Hartford's "Skippin' in the Mississippi Dew," before letting Cowan take the lead vocal on the lovely, "Good Woman's Love." His vocals, unlike traditional bluegrass, are soulful, as though he grew up listening to rock & roll. Sam Bush also offers nice lead vocals on songs like "Glory" and "When She Made Laughter Easy." The song choice in general has more in common with '70s figures like Jackson Browne than any standard bluegrass repertoire. This gives the album a contemporary feel. The overall musicianship is also superb. Burch is the paragon of good taste whether playing guitar or dobro, while Bush, known for his mandolin chops, is equally apt at fiddle, and on one song, Jackson Browne's "These Days," he even breaks out an electric guitar! A wider variety of instruments has been thrown into the musical stew on When the Storm Is Over, including electric piano and drums. These electric moments, while clearly not traditional, never overpower the music. Both of these albums offer a great starting place to discover the earlier version of the New Grass Revival (as opposed to the later version, which included B‚la Fleck and the glories of early progressive bluegrass). ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.