A Picture of Hank: The New Bluegrass Way (Mercury, 1997)
Various Artists
Reviewed by George Hauenstein
The music of Hank Williams has always translated well to bluegrass. Over the years, many bluegrass artists have more than adequately covered his songs. This is a collection of over a dozen of Hanks' classics, performed by mostly lesser known bluegrass artists. The most well-known artist on the record is Claire Lynch. The other artists include lesser known, but up-and-coming singers like Andrea Zonn, Ed Dye, Ronnie McCoury, Terry Eldridge and Gene Wooten. Selections include "Your Cheatin' Heart," "(I Heard that) Lonesome Whistle Blow" and " I Told a Lie to My Heart," featuring the piercing tenor vocals of Don Rigsby. This is indeed a specialty album which will appeal more to bluegrass fans than to country fans. It doesn't help that there are no real marquee artists on the album. Still, the disc will satisfy those who enjoy Williams' music and serves as a good showcase for many of the bluegrass 'stars of tomorrow.
©Country Standard Time • Jeffrey B. Remz, editor & publisher • countrystandardtime@gmail.com
About • Copyright • Newsletter • Our sister publication Standard Time