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Release Date: 01/25/2005
Bluegrass trio
the Greencards might be from Australia (bassist
Carol Young and mandolin player
Kym Warner) and Great Britain (fiddler
Eamon McLoughlin) -- hence the punning band name -- but the three musicians are so thoroughly committed to
traditional acoustic
bluegrass that their debut album doesn't sound like either a gimmick or an affectation. All three sing, but
Young -- previously a solo
country performer of some repute Down Under -- has a notably better voice than either of her male counterparts, sounding something like an antipodean
Kelly Willis on the sweetly emotional title track. The songs are a mixed bag of instrumentals, original songs and a well-chosen selection of covers highlighted by a terrific duet by
Young and
Warner on
Robert Earl Keen's
"Love's a Word I Never Throw Around" and the album's high point, a
Fairport Convention-like version of
Gillian Welch's
"Caleb Meyer." The instrumentals are a uniformly strong lot as well, showing off the trio's impressive sense of rhythmic interplay. A better line in original material and
the Greencards could give better-known folks like
Nickel Creek and
Union Station some serious competition.
~Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
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