MONROE CROSSING
The Road Has No End
Cool Cool Ride – Chattanooga – Bullet Train –
Hobos In The Roundhouse – Cicada – Rain Was Turning Into Snow – Foggy
River – Heavenly Table – East To Get Lost – If The World Were Filled
With You – Doing My Time – Bread & Milk – Last Letter Home – Long
Cool Woman In A Black Dress
Hobos In The Roundhouse – Cicada – Rain Was Turning Into Snow – Foggy
River – Heavenly Table – East To Get Lost – If The World Were Filled
With You – Doing My Time – Bread & Milk – Last Letter Home – Long
Cool Woman In A Black Dress
The single really great thing about Bluegrass music is the
opportunity and open door policy of band members writing their own
original songs. The second really great thing about acoustic Bluegrass
music is that it is nationwide. Really super good Bluegrass bands are
coming from everywhere, even Minnesota. Monroe Crossing did an
absolutely superb job of doing exactly that. Bluegrass is also an
extension of America’s original country music, or mountain music, or
just plain ‘people’ music, and there are some extraordinary groups
performing this music today. Monroe Crossing is one of them. To be
credited as a ‘top’ Bluegrass band today, and get the higher paying
festival gigs, a Bluegrass band HAS to be tight. Monroe Crossing is one
of them. To get a record review in Europe on a German country music
Internet magazine means the group has to have international appeal.
Monroe Crossing is one of them. This extremely ‘tight’ group is made up
of Lisa Fuglie on fiddle, guitar, vocals, and some tremendously
appealing original songs, no less than six with some of them co-written
with Mark Anderson (bass, especially good on “Foggy River,” snare,
vocals). Listen to Lisa’s roaring train-smashing lead on “Bullet
Train.” Derek Johnson (guitar & vocals) contributed two excellent
songs, my favorite being “Easy To Get Lost” with the admonition that
it’s easy to get lost when you don’t know where you are going. Sounds
pretty much like what contemporary country music direction is today.
Matt Thompson on a stunningly good Monroe style mandolin (yes both
Monroe’s), also contributed “Rain Was Turning Into Snow.” The rest of
the band is made up of David Robinson on banjo, resophonic guitar,
harmonica (whaaaat, in bluegrass, and yes it’s good), and vocals. I
really liked his frailing style of banjo on “Cicada.” Recorded at Wild
Sound in Minneapolis, this excellent recording has been gone over with a
fine toothbrush in the final mix. Nothing anywhere stands out as
‘unwanted.’ I especially enjoyed their rendition of “Doing My Time”
which I had the extreme pleasure of playing with Jimmy Martin on my
television show. Being an older reviewer I’m beginning to have a little
trouble with extreme lows and extreme highs, which in my case would
wish the vocals were just a bit higher above the instrumental mix, but
that is very personal. It’s no wonder that the Rural Roots Music
Commission brought this CD to my attention for their 2013 “Contemporary
Bluegrass CD of The Year” award. I hope that all works out for Monroe
Crossing, they are definitely a Bluegrass band on a road that has no
end.
opportunity and open door policy of band members writing their own
original songs. The second really great thing about acoustic Bluegrass
music is that it is nationwide. Really super good Bluegrass bands are
coming from everywhere, even Minnesota. Monroe Crossing did an
absolutely superb job of doing exactly that. Bluegrass is also an
extension of America’s original country music, or mountain music, or
just plain ‘people’ music, and there are some extraordinary groups
performing this music today. Monroe Crossing is one of them. To be
credited as a ‘top’ Bluegrass band today, and get the higher paying
festival gigs, a Bluegrass band HAS to be tight. Monroe Crossing is one
of them. To get a record review in Europe on a German country music
Internet magazine means the group has to have international appeal.
Monroe Crossing is one of them. This extremely ‘tight’ group is made up
of Lisa Fuglie on fiddle, guitar, vocals, and some tremendously
appealing original songs, no less than six with some of them co-written
with Mark Anderson (bass, especially good on “Foggy River,” snare,
vocals). Listen to Lisa’s roaring train-smashing lead on “Bullet
Train.” Derek Johnson (guitar & vocals) contributed two excellent
songs, my favorite being “Easy To Get Lost” with the admonition that
it’s easy to get lost when you don’t know where you are going. Sounds
pretty much like what contemporary country music direction is today.
Matt Thompson on a stunningly good Monroe style mandolin (yes both
Monroe’s), also contributed “Rain Was Turning Into Snow.” The rest of
the band is made up of David Robinson on banjo, resophonic guitar,
harmonica (whaaaat, in bluegrass, and yes it’s good), and vocals. I
really liked his frailing style of banjo on “Cicada.” Recorded at Wild
Sound in Minneapolis, this excellent recording has been gone over with a
fine toothbrush in the final mix. Nothing anywhere stands out as
‘unwanted.’ I especially enjoyed their rendition of “Doing My Time”
which I had the extreme pleasure of playing with Jimmy Martin on my
television show. Being an older reviewer I’m beginning to have a little
trouble with extreme lows and extreme highs, which in my case would
wish the vocals were just a bit higher above the instrumental mix, but
that is very personal. It’s no wonder that the Rural Roots Music
Commission brought this CD to my attention for their 2013 “Contemporary
Bluegrass CD of The Year” award. I hope that all works out for Monroe
Crossing, they are definitely a Bluegrass band on a road that has no
end.
Bob Everhart, Reviewer, www.ntcma.net