Colebrook Road – Too Far To Let Go
While not in the realm of Alison Krauss bluegrass, this band has lots of Vince Gill quality held down with crisp backwoods musical ingenuity. The playing is energetic & skillful, with a surplus of ideas. “Wise Old Owl” is good, but it’s the fiery application of “As You Do” that will send eyebrows up into the forehead. Blissfully engaging, ambitious & arranged with skill. The vocalizing is forged & shaped like metal.
From all this energy, “Black Oak” spills with cashmere smooth vocals, reflective, somewhat sad lyrically, but the music itself adds the splendor of the piece. Apparently, all of the compositions by Harrisburg, PA’s Colebrook Road have been written with care & the multiple voices. Banjo picking, fiddle sawing, decorates the melodies like feathers garnish birds.
There are 10 original songs that have come Too Far To Let Go (Drops April 24/Mountain Fever Records/35:59). Produced by Woody Platt (vocals on “As You Do”) & Colebrook Road, many of the songs are upbeat, fine-tuned for dancing & infectious. The genre is always a joyous type of presentation, & this band has mastered that art—no gimmicks, or novelty – just enthusiasm in each clean pluck. While the vocals are uniformly fine, the band lacks a signature vocalist that would help distinguish the band more accurately. Right now, they sound good, but sound like many other bluegrass vocalists. Alison Krauss has set herself & Union Station apart in a crowded field – everyone knows what an Alison Krauss LP will deliver. Vince Gill has a distinguished vocal & does the same to whatever song he sings.
This group sings some songs as a unified vocal (“It’s All You Need”) with its Beatles tune injected cleverly & briefly – it sounds good, but it doesn’t deliver a fleshed-out direction. Once the song ends, it becomes vapors instead of leaving a flavorful aftertaste. Whereas “Alone Again” has a more savored form, the nuts & bolts are tight.
“That Summer” comes closer to a bluegrass form that’s wholly Colebrook Road, though the voice still needs more muscle. The band itself is marvelous; they keep an old genre fresh through each tune played. The instrumentation is strong throughout with well-arranged music, never claustrophobic or lacking in musical ruralese. There’s always a lingering scent of pine, smoke, & barbecue as this music drifts through the air. Summer’s coming & this should be played loud. It’ll make sick people want to dance.
Highlights – “Wise Old Owl,” “As You Do,” “Black Oak,” “It’s All You Need,” “That Summer,” “Live In the Light,” & “Alone Again.”
Musicians – Jesse Eisenbise (guitar/vocals/harmony), Wade Yankey (mandolin), Jeff Campbell (bass/vocals/harmony), Mark Rast (banjo/vocals/harmony) & Joe McAnulty (fiddle/vocals/harmony).
Color image courtesy of the band’s website gallery. CD @ https://www.colebrookroad.com/music & https://www.colebrookroad.com/