Outshine the Sun

You won’t find any clear songwriting credits on this innovatively packaged release. But what you will find in the liner notes is all 21 tracks arrayed by the keys signatures they’re performed in, alongside a list of the fiddlers and bands that inspired the arrangements of the Portland, Oregon-based band. Many of these influences are clearly audible and skilfully represented. In fact, this is the most stunningly authentic sound I’ve heard in a long time, with the traditional instruments of mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo and bass blended together as smoothly and completely as the unaffected vocals of all four of the band members.

Fans of such legends as the Carter Family, the Stanley Brothers, The Pine Ridge Boys & Patsy and Hazel Dickens will revel in this revival of their legacy. There are affirmative country gospel paeans and rousing breakdowns. The fiddling is lusty, the picking rapid and accurate, and the singing resonant and heartfelt. You will come away from this album excited and confident in this album’s proof that bluegrass and old-time Americana music has a secure foundation.