Laps in Seven

1	The River's Gonna Run / Emmylou Harris 4:01
2	Bringing in the Georgia Mail 3:57
3	The Dolphin Dance 3:14
4	On the Road 5:00
5	Ridin' That Bluegrass Train / Tim O'Brien 3:46
6	I Wanna Do Right / Shaun Murphy 4:34
7	Where There's a Road 3:53
8	New Country / Jean-Luc Ponty 4:09
9	Ballad for a Soldier 4:35
10	River Take Me 7:11
11	White Bird 6:00
12	Laps in Seven 5:00

Barnes & Noble

The surprising title song tells you all you need to know about this stellar outing from newgrass pioneer/mandolin virtuoso Sam Bush. No, it doesn't refer to running a seven-minute mile but rather to the syncopated 7/4 tempo at which Bush observed his dog lapping up water one day. From that came a tune that evolves from a laconic, summery pace into a high-stepping, hard-charging, prog-rock rhythmic juggernaut sparked by an exciting textural exchange between electric (banjo, banjo synth, mandolin) and acoustic instruments. Stimulating cross-genre pollination and surprising musical choices are the order of the day for Bush and his incomparable band (Chris Brown, drums; Scott Vestal, banjo; Keith Sewell, electric and acoustic guitars; Byron House, bass). Ranging far and wide for material, the artist blends his original numbers with interesting covers of songs by Julie Miller, John Hartford, David and Linda LaFlamme (of It's a Beautiful Day), Leon Russell, Jean-Luc Ponty, and others. Dueting with Emmylou Harris on Miller's "The River's Gonna Run" (which also features Miller's husband, Buddy, contributing atmospheric fills on acoustic and electric guitars), Bush's sturdy, unadorned singing conjures an appropriately doom-laden mood on the country-inflected ballad. A barnburning bluegrass breakdown on Charlie Monroe's "Bringing In the Georgia Mail" and a frolicsome mandolin-banjo dialogue on Bush's original "The Dolphin Dance" link the traditional with the progressive in style and sensibility. Ponty's new age hoedown, "New Country," features bowmasters Ponty and Bush in a red-hot twin fiddle set-to that, like so much of Laps in Seven, sounds old and new all at once. David McGee

All Music Guide

Sam Bush has been one of the most respected and loved bluegrass icons since his work with the New Grass Revival during the early '70s. Few folk today remember what a stir the New Grass Revival made at the time with their long hair and acoustic rock take on "Great Balls of Fire." On 2006's Laps in Seven, singer/mandolinist Bush covers the bluegrass continuum with ease, offering fairly traditional fare like "Bringing in the Georgia Mail" and progressive jazz like Jean-Luc Ponty's "New Country." It's an eclectic stew, and he has no problem shifting from acoustic to electric, from vocals to instrumentals. Even with this open approach, Bush's music often expresses a "settled" quality that feels rather safe and lacking in soul. A prime example is his take on John Hartford's "On the Road" (from Hartford's Morning Bugle LP). Obviously, Bush has a great appreciation for Hartford's music, and he's chosen -- structurally -- one of his most challenging songs. Bush's vocal and the band's plodding, however, change Hartford's edgy paean to living on the road into a song that wouldn't be too out of place on bluegrass radio. Sure, Bush's mandolin solo is breezy and, unlike Hartford's version, a listener can actually understand the lyrics. But something has been lost in the process. "I Wanna Do Right," filled with a buoyant groove and soulful backing vocals, works much better, though the song may remind old New Grass Revival fans of "Going to the Fair." Despite these criticisms, Bush can't be accused of sleeping on the job. He always turns out a professional product that pleases fans, and in this fashion, Laps in Seven is no different. Ronnie D. Lankford Jr.

Hartford Courant

Bush demonstrates the virtues of straightforward, hard-charging bluegrass as he barks with authority on the robust "Bringing in the Georgia Mail," but he does not shy from unconventional derring-do on the title track's chugging rock climax. Thomas Kintner