Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 07/10/2007
Formed in 1984,
the Nashville Bluegrass Band filled a slot somewhere between the new and the old, similar, in a number of ways, to
Hot Rize. With smooth harmony and a
folk sound,
NBB blunts many of bluegrass' sharper, more rustic edges; at the same time, one would never confuse
NBB with the '70s incarnation of
the New Grass Revival or even the eclectically conservative
Seldom Scene. While elements of
the Nashville Bluegrass Band have changed over the years, all of the 16 selections on
Best of the Sugar Hill Years feature vocalist/guitarist
Pat Enright, banjoist/vocalist
Alan O'Bryant, and fiddler
Stuart Duncan. The mandolin spot, over the years, has changed between
Mike Compton and
Roland White, while the bass players featured on this collection include
Gene Libbea and
Dennis Crouch. For anyone familiar with the roots music field, this is an impressive roster, and one that works very well as a unit (thus, the emphasis on the "band" in
Nashville Bluegrass Band). There's a lot of good stuff here, including the propulsive
"Blue Train" and a fine take on
Gillian Welch's
"Tear My Stillhouse Down." Best of the Sugar Hill Years is a solid introduction to a fine
contemporary bluegrass band.
~Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide
;)
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