The new
Fade2Blue album,
"Climbing The Walls"
had to
happen!
This
group, though still quite
early in their career as a
bluegrass unit,
clearly
demonstrates a
deep
knowledge of what it takes
to interpret
the true spirit of bluegrass whilst bringing to
it great originality.
"Climbing The Walls",
itself an excellent tune,
is
a delight from
beginning
to end. There
are many
bluegrass bands
who,
thankfully,
love and
respect the music
and its
history and love
to jam
with
it whenever they can,
even
record an album of
their
work, but here,
on
this album, Fade2Blue
demonstrates
a vitality,
purpose and
high
quality
of performance not
always
found on the one body of
work. Even
what may be
said to be the
"surprise"
of the album,
"Together
Again" is
sung
and played with gusto
and
immediately enters the
bluegrass
lexicon.
Bluegrass has always been
able to portray loss,
sadness or
"heart-broken-ness"
in a
way which engages the
listener and makes one
feel
good. So it is here
with
"Broke Up". Through
the
gentleness of
"Love Like This" to the
powerfully executed "Blue
Trail Of Sorrow" the album
offers great
variety and a
consistently
high standard
of singing and playing.
The
sole gospel entry, the
classic "Wicked Path Of
Sin" shows off the group
in
tight, close harmony: four voices,
one guitar, the way it
should be. A compliment,
too, to those
responsible
for the mixing
of this
album for consistently
clear, forward
sound.
Fade2Blue is a keen,
dedicated group which
knows and loves its music
and
aims to write and
perform
it to a high
standard.
Geoff
Morris
WALL-TO-WALL
BLUEGRASS
