Colors (Mountain Home, 2024)

The world is Carley Arrowood's canvas on "Colors," her second album, which expands a bit beyond the musical boundaries of her debut offering, "Goin' Home Comin' On." The exceptional singer/fiddler player/songwriter from North Carolina displays elements of bluegrass, mountain music, Celtic tunes and even classical music on this solid collection.

Arrowood's talents have been evident from the start, as she has already garnered two IBMA Momentum awards (for Instrumentalist of the Year and Vocalist of the Year). She is again surrounded by impressive studio talent, including her husband, Daniel Thrailkill and sister Autumn Arrowood.

Jim VanCleve produced the album, which also features Kristin Scott Benson and Tabitha Benedict (banjo), Nick Dumas (mandolin), and Tony Creasman (percussion).

Recent singles "Chasin' Indigo" and "Moondancer" are here, the former featuring a picturesque lyric that describes how in the evening light, as "gold and green turn to indigo," the singer would love to toss off the cares of the day and walk down an endless road with the love of her life. The gentle-paced tune was written by Arrowood and Thrailkill.

"Deeper in Love," a road ballad that features Jeff Partin's fast-paced, lively resophonic guitar work, is an entertainer's tribute to the lover who waits for her at home. While this ribbon of a road goes on and on, "I fall deeper in love every day," she sings. "Always Back to You," written by Tim Stafford and Bobby Starnes, is a loving tribute to the man who's been by her side through so much: "The time we're given is borrowed, and I wanna spend it with you."

"Colors" includes two hot instrumentals, "Tsali's Run," whose spirited fiddle work shows a strong Celtic influence, and "Molasses Ridge," a scorcher that opens with a barn dance-style fiddle. "O The Blood," with a slow, pretty acoustic guitar, and "Colors," with nice fiddle work by Arrowood, are gospel ballads.