Reviewed by Dustin Helgeson

Americana bluegrass band The Urban Hillbilly Quartet has finally released a ‘best of’ effort, capturing the highlights of their journey since 1995. UHQ has a sound that is like a mix between REM and The Grateful Dead and displays the diversity that such a combination might inspire. UHQ have won a number of awards in America, including Best Americana Band and Best Bluegrass Album by the Minnesota Music Association (MMA). Those Minnesotans definitely know something that the rest of the world needs to embrace. This band is clearly more deserving of a larger audience. In an effort to do just that, the long time favourites of the eclectic folk-rock Americana scene have been quite the travelling band, hitting places all over the US and the UK. To show their live ability, three live cuts were chosen to go on the album as well as several fiery remixes and a new version of “Happy Anyway”. Overall, the album is an excellent and deserving collection and totally lives up to its own title. An added bonus to the record is a comic by illustrator Andy DeVore, which captures the history of the UHQ in a fun and quirky little nutshell. Delightful and entertaining, ‘The A-List’ is a must for serious Americana fans.

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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