All-star solo album from bluegrass mandolinist
Grammy® winning mandolinist Adam Steffey is best known for his tenures with Union Station and Mountain Heart, and his current gig in the Dan Tyminski band. On this second solo album he’s surrounded himself with bandmates past and present, showcasing not only their instrumental prowess, but their harmony as vocalists. Surprisingly, given his years as a sideman, Steffey is both an interesting baritone lead vocalist and a canny band leader. Rather than crafting a showcase for his sizeable instrumental talent, he’s pulled together friends for sessions that trade off between fiery hot-picked solos and ensemble playing, solo lead vocals and close harmonizing, and original and cover tunes. The result is less a stage-center spotlight for Steffey himself than a group effort reflecting his lengthy experience as a musician.
Alison Krauss sings the bluegrass classic “Warm Kentucky Sunshine,†but despite the beautiful, instantly identifiable singularity of her voice (and a harmony from Dan Tyminski), the result isn’t an Alison Krauss track. Similarly for Tyminski’s lead on “Let Me Fall,†on which Steffey, Ron Stewart and Stuart Duncan trade solos on mandolin, banjo and fiddle. Steffey sings three-part harmony with Barry Bales and Ronnie Bowman on “A Broken Heart Keeps Beatin’,†and a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Please Don’t Tell Me How the Story Ends†is sung slowly and beautifully. Steffey’s musicality informs this album, making it a subtle, but quite gratifying “solo†release. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com] 