Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 08/25/1994
Run Time: 33:25
By the time
the Seldom Scene had recorded its first album in 1972,
Act I, the band's essential elements were fully operational.
John Starling's rich lead vocals,
John Duffy's higher lead, and
Mike Auldridge's dobro gave the band a distinct sound, while
Ben Eldridge's banjo work,
Duffy's fancy mandolin licks, and
Tom Gray's acoustic bass reminded doubters that the band, despite its smoothness, was a
bluegrass band.
The Seldom Scene always chose top-notch songs, pulling equally from classic
bluegrass and contemporary singer/songwriters, and the group's harmony threw everything into high gear. By the time
the Seldom Scene recorded
Act 3 in 1973, the band was ready to broaden its sound, but only slightly; on several songs, the band's lineup was augmented by fiddler
Ricky Skaggs and guitarist
Clayton Hambrick. These changes were unobtrusively inserted into songs like the propulsive
"Rider" and
"Mean Mama Blues," and added to
the Seldom Scene's sound without effecting the overall blueprint.
Act 3, like
Act 1 and
Act 2, is excellent all around, and features a fine, eclectic set list. The lead instrumental track, an acoustic take on
"Chim Chim Cheree," may qualify as the band's oddest album kick-off, but this slow, melancholy version is lovely. The five-minute-twenty-second
"Rider" pulls out all the stops, and some listeners even prefer it to the longer version on
Live at the Cellar Door, while the emotive
"Muddy Water" shows that no matter how much
the Seldom Scene smoothed
bluegrass' rougher edges, the band could still evoke pathos. But listing the highlights of any early
Seldom Scene album is only to list favorites: there are no weak links here. For anyone who wishes to hear
the Seldom Scene at the top of its game,
Act 3 is a good place to start.
~Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
;)
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