CD Review Scott Brannon – Your Old Standby
by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International
Wedding Bells (Hank Williams)
Georgia Bound (Moore & Napier)
Your Old Standby (Jim Eanes)
Your Tears Are Just Interest On The Loan (Reno & Smiley)
Cold November Rain (Bill Harrell)
Singing Waterfall (Hank Williams)
I Still Miss Someone (Johnny Cash)
Mountain Church (Reno & Smiley)
My Dear One (Moore & Napier)
If I Lose (Ricky Skaggs)
Overlooked An Orchid (Mickey Gilley)
Sing Sing Sing (Hank Williams)
Patuxent Records CD 241
Scott Brannon grew up playing bluegrass music since his father had a bluegrass band. On this latest CD “Your Old Standby” he expressed this love and put together a wonderful mix of his favorites with his band (Scott Brannon, lead singer, guitar; Tracey Dent Rohrbaugh, mandolin; Kevin Roop, banjo; Jack Leiderman, fiddle; Jerry McCoury, bass).
His favorites are Reno & Smiley (tracks 4 and 8) from the 1950-1960s. Hank Williams is represented with three titles, in the lament “Wedding Bells”, where the wedding bells do not ring for him. At the “Singing Waterfall”, he mourns his girl who went to heaven. And the last song is a very nice brisk gospel song.
“Georgia Bound” by Moore & Napier comes in the honky tonk style. “My Dear One” comes from the same pen, in which his darling marries someone else. Johnny Cash should not be missing with “I Still Miss Someone”. “If I Lose” by Ricky Skaggs is a very lively bluegrass number with a nice duet – even if he loses, his baby always has money. In the title track “Your Old Standby” by Jim Eanes, he wonders if she still loves him and thinks of him when he’s dead. It gets melodramatic with “Cold November Rain” by Bill Harrell, it is easy to be happy in summer, it becomes more difficult when the cold autumn comes with memories. Then there is “Overlooked An Orchid” where Mickey Gilley discovered at the time that he was looking for a rose and overlooked the orchid.
There are songs about loving, leaving, religion, longing and a little misery. And yet it’s very pleasant to listen to, with very good instrumentalists and Scott Brannon has the right voice for these songs. Highly recommended, even for non-bluegrass fans.