Reviewed by Sue Rann

Established country fans will probably love this, with its fast-pickin', bass-bouncin' style, but I don't think it's going to win any new fans to the genre. What we have here is Appalachian Country of the typists' school: the more notes per minute the better, all delivered on authentic instruments. True, but "authentic" don't necessarily mean "better" in my dictionary, and the wit and sheer adrenalin of the best Appalachian music is sadly missing from this collection. Craig Duncan with his fiddle doesn't make the kind of foot stomping, wood-sawing impact you'd expect, though it's all good natured and pleasant enough with the occasional gem ("What Wondrous Love Is This" - an Irish folk tinged stunner). Hearing hymns like "The Old Rugged Cross" and "Simple Gifts" done at the ton with gratuitous jangling and twanging doesn't really endear the Smoky Mountain Sunday experience to me. "Deliverance" it ain't.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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