Rocky Top & Other Bluegrass Classics CD

These songs are certainly all bluegrass classics, and in a few cases ("Rocky Top," the Osborne Brothers standard, and Don Reno's banjo showcase "Skyline Drive") they're actually performed by the artists normally associated with them. But bluegrass aficionados will note with some discomfort the presence of drums and pedal steel on many of these tracks, as well as an echo-drenched production style on almost all of them that makes even the most straightahead performances (such as Benny Martin's take on "Foggy Mountain Breakdown") sound slick in a way that's downright weird. The drums fit in just fine with Merle Travis and Joe Maphis's rendition of "Lonesome Road Blues," but that's because Merle Travis is more of a country blues than a bluegrass player. Too bad his acoustic guitar sound is so distorted-someone neglected to check the microphone levels in the studio, apparently. Mac Wiseman joins the Osborne Brothers for nice versions of "I Wonder How the Old Folks Are at Home" and "Mountain Fever," and Grandpa Jones does a great job on "Tragic Romance." With tasteful production and less percussion, this collection could have been a winner. ~ Rick Anderson

Osborne Brothers,Pinnacle Boys Benny Martin,Stonemans &More