ADAM BURROWS
It’s Called Bluegrass
Long Gone – I Just Got Wise – In The Pines – You
Can Feel It In Your Soul – Swinging A Nine Pound Hammer – I Only Exist –
Roy Lee – Molly and Tenbrooks – Pistol Packing Mama – Precious Memories
– T For Texas – Brown Mountain Lights – I Wouldn’t Change You If I
Could – Pretty Polly
Adam Burrows calls North Carolina home. He sure
does have a headstart with traditional bluegrass music, and more, he’s
even got a Jimmie Rodgers song on this incredibly listenable CD of
‘traditional’ music. Hard to come by in today’s world of corporate
owned music that dominates what radio there is to listen to. Adam is
the proficient fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and bass, as well as the lead
vocalist. He’s right on the mark throughout this really nice bluegrass
masterpiece. His brother Jake does the honors with banjo and mandolin,
and adds the tenor vocals. This is what ‘traditional’ bluegrass is all
about, and they certainly do it well, especially on the old “In The
Pines” a terrific traditional song that lots and lots of bands do, but
these boys take it right back to where it was in those Appalachian
Mountains a long long time ago. They even dedicated it to their
Grandmother Mildred Embler. Not easy to find it this well done today.
So many bands keep trying to ‘create’ something new, but it’s the
traditional sound that still sets the pace, and still sets the genre, no
matter what you do to it. The Burrows Brothers have kept this music
alive and well, and at the same time put their own ‘stamp of approval’
on it. There are other musicians and singers involved in this
remarkable studio session: Cassie Smith, Mikayla Hyde, Tim Norris, and
Kevin Prater, have all added strength and motivation to this classic
bluegrass project. I really love the cover of this CD. It’s a great
photo of an incredibly well built log cabin. It’s got to be beautiful
where this house stands. It’s a pleasant scene, quiet, whispering
trees, and probably a brook not too far away. Exactly the image of
early bluegrass music in the style of Bill Monroe. Adam plays a mean
fiddle all the way through this remarkable listening experience, he’s
especially nice on “I Wouldn’t Change You If I Could.” “T for Texas” is
much in the Monroe style, but one that I found very interesting is
“Brown Mountain Lights” which has a nice talking introduction. I’m going
to send this CD off to the Rural Roots Music Commission right away.
There’s still a couple of weeks left for submitting CD’s for their CD of
the Year awards. I sure wish the Burrows Brothers well, and hope they
keep the ‘tradition’ in their music as well as they have done it on this
wonderful CD.
CD REVIEW BY BOB EVERHART, President, National Traditional Country Music Assn. www.music-savers.com for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show