Yep Roc Records

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It seems quite unbelievable that the Steep Canyon Rangers have been stretching the boundaries of bluegrass music for almost 20 years. Formed during their college days at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill they have won numerous IBMA and Grammy Awards and collaborated with such diverse acts as Steve Martin, Paul McCartney, the Dixie Chicks, Boys II Men and the Asheville Symphony. They have been regulars at the renowned Merlefest, where they recorded this special live album this past April. The performances are a kind of musical history of North Carolina with the eight songs having been penned by such North Carolina legends as James Taylor, Ben E King, Charlie Poole. Elizabeth Cotten, Thelonious Monk and Doc Watson. Many worthy artists have covered these songs, but when you examine the source, you understand more fully the level of greatness that was in the original versions—greatness that is also almost impossible to define. Rather than trying to copy the originals, The Steep Canyon Rangers have turned the songs inside out to give them new original interpretations that are both entertaining and timeless.

Ben E King’s Stand By Me opens on a stark arrangement of acoustic guitar and stripped-bare vocals. Full of soulful echo and southern grit the harmonies on the chorus make way for the sweet fiddles and hypnotic mandolin on the extended fade. Charlie Poole’s string-band classic Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down is transformed into a roller coaster ride of rollicking riffs, descending and ascending with a luminous fury and friskiness, before delivering us back home again safe and sound, but breathless. They're loose and lively, so when they swing into Ola Belle Reed’s I’ve Endured, it doesn't feel forced, it feels like an outgrowth of the natural Appalachian rhythms. The sharp twang of the banjo, the rhythm pounding along in time, the frantic mandolin and then the screeching fiddle at the end has the audience shouting and hollering at the dynamic climax. Perhaps the most unusual choice is Thelonious Monk’s Blue Monk, which swings like a wrecking ball; steady and deliberate but still wildly destructive as all six musicians take a break just like a seasoned jazz ensemble, except that this is electrified bluegrass with a thump. Tommy Jerrell’s Drunkard’s Hiccup, a mash-up of Jack O’Diamonds and Rye Whiskey takes them straight back into bluegrass territory. James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James is yet another perfect fit, with a soulful folksy vocal full of passion. They close out the album with Doc Watson’s beautiful Your Lone Journey. Anchored by gentle acoustic guitar and exquisite gospel-tinged vocal harmonies this is a stirring ending to an all-too-short, but highly entertaining album.

With a nod to the past and a firm foot down on the gas toward the future, the Steep Canyon Rangers aren’t leaving bluegrass behind; they’re stretching it from within. Hearing them in the act of mixing country, bluegrass, rock’n’soul, jazz and Appalachian roots into a true Americana stew is a thrill to behold. Seek out this inventive album and hear for yourself.

www.steepcanyonrangers.com

December 2019