CD: LARRY GILLIS – Swampgrass

LARRY GILLIS

Swampgrass

 

Swampgrass- Down By The River – Look Over Me
Lord – I’d Rather Be Alone – Trouble In The Swamp – Whipporwill’s Cry –
Dark Hollow – Kristi Lynn – Mountain Woman – Pretty Woman – Love Has
It’s Way Of Hurting – Nobody Answered Me – Today Marks The Day – The
Bottle
 
Today’s ‘catch-all’ in music has presented me with two
incredibly professional works of art.  One a delightful steel-guitar
instrumental, and one a hard-driving powerful on-the-mark bluegrass CD. 
This one of Larry Gillis heads up, without a doubt, one of the most
true-to-traditional bluegrass bands to exist in America.  From the south
Georgia swamps, this group makes a definite statement to anyone who
‘messes’ with what bluegrass should sound like.  It’s going to be hard
to point out all that is important on this CD, so I’ll start with Larry
Gillis’s voice.  This man is not only ‘selected by a higher power’ to
perform what he does and the way that he does it, but also in the way he
presents his music.  He’s a devoted Christian, and this is so apparent
in this entire soul-moving very gifted bluegrass project.  Larry has
also celebrated thirty years in bluegrass which also tells us something
about ‘dedication,’ which doesn’t exist in top-40 music these days. 
I’ve known of Larry Gillis for some time.  Mostly his reputation is
built around his hard-driving incredibly fast banjo playing as well as
his delightful old-style frailing style. BUT he’s also a very gifted
songwriter full of meaning and sentiment which “Whippoorwill’s Cry” so
adequately expresses.  This is an absolutely lovely piece of original
work, among seven of the songs on the CD, all written by Larry. Add to
Larry’s banjo a fiddle, guitar, and acoustic bass and you already know
what this ‘tradition’ is all about.  It’s about sincerity, it’s about
truthfulness, it’s about talent, and it’s about how you live your life
and your belief in the only way, Jesus Christ. These boys play so well
together it’s hard to separate them from their instruments and their
leads the way they pass it around.  This is one of the most solid
bluegrass bands with tradition spelled with a capital TRADITION I’ve
ever heard.   This CD will be forwarded to the Rural Roots Music
Commission for their listen.  I already know what they are going to say
when they hear this banjo player.  We’ll just have to wait and see what
happens.  Review by Bob Everhart www.ntcma.net  Larry Gillis is at larrygillis@hotmail.com

Related Posts

Taylor Austin Dye – Out of These Hills

By Madison Monroe for Country Music News International Magazine

Eddie Noack – Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Tracy Byrd – The Definitive Collection

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Bayou Alligators – A Barrel Of Blues

By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *