Marbletownby Anonymous

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July 06, 2005: Not that I expected anything else, but Blue Highway has added another gem to their already dazzling collection of modern Bluegrass. "Marbletown" is another total success, from the frantic instrumental "Three-fingered Jack" to the melancholy "No Home to Go Home To" which, due to Wayne Taylor's magnificent treatment, is reminiscent of "He Walked All the Way Home:" probably the best song they have ever recorded. Not that their harmonies were ever bad, but these are better, and they attempt more of them, as opposed to their prior inclination to simply rotate leads. (Although I could handle 12 tracks of Wayne Taylor very easily). Lonesome River Band is considered in many quarters to be the Gold Standard in modern commercial Bluegrass. However, without Ronnie Bowman in the lead, something is lost. With Blue Highway it doesn't make any difference WHO sings lead. Also, LRB's material is not as compelling as it used to be. I don't find myself playing three or four tracks over and over, until I know all the lyrics. With Blue Highway I do, because their material is as good as it has ever been since their self-titled debut. I have seen Blue Highway live and I have seen Lonesome River Band live, and I never thought I would admit that LRB had an equal,let alone a superior, but times change. I was unable to attend Blue Highway's recent appearance locally, so I'm settling for LRB next week. But that's NOT what I wanted. "Marbletown" is the coup-de-grace:THE TORCH HAS BEEN PASSED.