Clinch Mountain Mystery

Larry Stephenson has been with the reputable Pinecastle/Webco Record label now for fifteen years so Clinch Mountain Mystery is a bit of an anniversary celebration too. At track three, the title cut comes from the pens of Tom T. and Dixie Hall and tells the story of a man and woman who meet a gruesome fate. The Halls also contribute The Pretty Blue Dress. A nice choice of material for the likes of Curtis McPeake, Bill Harrell, Wayne Raney, Randall Hylton, Don Bowman, Jimmy Wakely, and others is featured. Larry Stephenson's own My Baby Back To Me closes the project.

Besides Larry on mandolin and vocals, the band includes Aaron McDaris (banjo, vocals), Randy Barnes (bass, vocals), and Dustin Benson (harmony vocals on four cuts). Guest musicians include Bryan Sutton (guitar), Bobby Hicks (fiddle, six cuts), and Ronnie Stewart (fiddle, five cuts).

Larry Stephenson does a fine job on mandolin, but the instrumental standout on this album is clearly guitarist Bryan Sutton who is the man with drive. Hicks and Stewart are no slouches either, and McDaris' banjo is mighty proficient. The band's signature sound, of course, is built around Larry's high lead tenor, a voice featured on more than a two dozen albums. Besides the title track, Larry also arranges Those Gone and Left Me Blues for just solo vocals. Randy Barnes does a fine job singing lead on I Can't Bear the Thought of Losing You.

The band offers a couple triple timed songs (A Heart Never Knows, The Pretty Blue Dress), and Cruzin' in Overdrive is a spirited instrumental. Someone's Gotta Cry demonstrates how to play a slow song with excellent precision and timing. I was impressed that the band can interpret high-stepping bluegrass with the same zing as it does with beautiful ballads and contemporary numbers. A minor suggestion might've been to also include a gospel number in this set. Stephenson once said that he likes everything about bluegrass, a music he calls good, real and honest. And we'd find it difficult to not like everything about his band and this latest album project. Joe Ross