Rounder / Umgd
2006
Long List Of Heartaches
About This Album
Only two years into their career, the Grascals have delivered a sophomore effort that confirms their refreshing 2004 debut was no fluke. It's not that this bluegrass/country sextet is doing anything that hasn't been done before: unlike some of the more daring "newgrass" groups of the past few decades, the Grascals aren't so much interested in expanding the parameters of the genre as they are in rekindling the adventurous spirit that birthed it in the first place. That isn't to imply that the Grascals are some sort of modern-day Bill Monroe or Flatt & Scruggs retread. They're no more about retro than they are about fusion. While their associations with mainstream country artists (Dolly Parton guested on the debut, George Jones and Steve Wariner are on this one) do nudge the group just far enough away from the rote rules of bluegrass to keep things interesting, and there's enough experience and ability among the members to take the music just about anyplace else they wish it to go, they find plenty of space in which to forge an original sound without reaching toward deliberate eclecticism. That phenomenal players and singers populate the group is, of course, the main reason they can pull it off so effortlessly.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9)

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