Still Crooked

I had never heard of this group until I heard them on you tube. I love them! Great talent! Inspires me to play better!!

Blue grass with an edge. Has a modern touch, but not too much to ruin the traditional flavor. Thoroughly enjoyed almost every track.

the poignant vocals float over a lively and rhythmic wave of instrumentation. the ballads are lovely and there is good variety in terms of the moods of the different pieces.

OK, imagine, if you will, an old wooden railroad bridge across a deep chasm somewhere in the wilderness. Two trains approach from the opposite directions: one is carrying a brilliant string quartet of the finest young classical musicians from the most demanding music schools. The other train is bearing a fantastic bluegrass band with one of the greatest banjo players of the time.

They collide head-on.

And yet miraculously and mysteriously, out of the inferno strides five young survivors. Somehow spared by a higher power of both darkness and light to create a sound greater than the sum of the parts.

That's Crooked Still.

Think about this-- when The Boss was putting together his Seeger Sessions band, he called Greg Liszt to play banjo. Aoife O'Donovan is the daughter of Brian O'Donovan. Guests include Tim O'Brien and Casey Driessen.

My favorite track is the very VERY scary "Did You Sleep Well?" "Murdergrass" at it's finest (Hmmmn, or is it?)

I grant you, some people won't get it. OK, the title is too precious (It should really be called "Undone in Sorrow" a GREAT song from Olla Belle Reed, a GREAT American musician)

These cats are in the very forefront of the incredible revival of world class stringbands such as the Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Duhks, Uncle Earl and Old Crow medicine Show.

Yes, they recently have some new members, but they didn't rebuild, they reloaded.

Or "Artgrass," as I call it. They have a cello player. Enough said.

This is bluegrass for aesthetes and city slickers who wouldn't be caught dead at a barn dance or revival meeting.

The girl singer is really annoying, too; all breathy and fragile and folky. I could barely understand the lyrics she was singing.

The musicianship is of a high level, but to what end? There seems to be nothing about life that these folks wish to communicate to the listener. The music sounds like an academic exercise.

What really grips these folks? Where does life grab them? This CD offers no clues.