Reviewed by Tom Lennie

I sat down to watch this DVD with some friends who comprise Edinburgh's own bluegrass act, Home Made Jam. Strangely they hadn't heard of the Gaithers, but knew well and were much impressed with the majority of the bluegrass stars that appear on this superbly produced recording. I particularly loved the harmony vocals of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; while veterans like Ralph Stanley and Del McCoury also made a welcome contribution. Indeed the fine variety of styles and sounds was noticeable, with appearances from the likes of Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. A couple of songs were admittedly more in the Southern gospel rather than bluegrass genre, but I wasn't complaining - as they all sounded good and each was versed with a potent gospel vignette. Interviews were thankfully kept to a minimum, while a bonus presentation focused on bluegrass pioneers, the Carter family, and a couple of acoustic delights were added here. My only complaint is that an accompanying photo/history/lyric booklet was not included, this would really have set off this excellent DVD perfectly.

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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