Lord Bless This House (Pinecastle, 2009)
Nothin' Fancy
Reviewed by Dr. Bobby Jones
The cover art and banjo kick off opener leave no doubt that this is a bluegrass gospel CD. The instrumentation is traditional acoustic with guitar, bass, mandolin and fiddle, and the harmonies are standard three part. The playing is solid and pleasant, but not flashy. The 'Scruggs style' finger-picked guitar on God's Heavenly Shore is especially effective.
This is a traditional recording, but there are some surprises. Lead vocals tend to a somewhat lower register than many of the modern high lonesome sound bands, resulting in a bit more mellow result. Additionally, some cuts have a Southern Gospel feel (Peace in the Valley). Lean on Me recalls African American soul or spiritual music.
The group gets some help from ace guitar picker Cody Kilby. Rhonda and Darrin Vincent produce, and Ms. Vincent adds her trademark vocal on Heart That Will Never Break Again. Some of tunes are not new, but arrangements of old numbers like Gone Home and Soul of Man are done with enough style to hear again.
A good first gospel project by this Virginia-based band.
CDs by Nothin' Fancy
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