THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS Fork In The Road (Sugar Hill)

The Infamous Stringdusters are a young sextet who coalesced within the seemingly incestuous Nashville bluegrass scene. Dolly Parton says of “Fork In The Road”, their debut album, “I guarantee you will love this CD if you love bluegrass”, which is about as gold-plated an endorsement as you could hope for. Their music seems to have a harder, more modern edge to it than much of the contemporary bluegrass I get to hear, although the dextrous fingerpicking and melodic intensity associated with the genre are present in spades. In their hands, melody and rhythm seem to melt seamlessly together, perhaps a product of the fact that their lineup has all six members wielding stringed instruments. Even so, they can’t quite force square material into round holes, as a cover of John Mayer’s “3x5” attests, lacking the melodic warp and weft of their own, purpose-built songs. The band’s own compositions peak on the instrumentals “No Resolution” and “Moon Man”, where their vapour trails cross just like the Red Arrows’.

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