Rhonda Vincent - Good Thing Going (2008)

Tracklist

01. I'm Leavin'
02. World's Biggest Fool
03. I Give All My Love To You
04. Good Thing Going
05. Scorn Of A Lover
06. Hit Parade Of Love
07. I Will See You Again
08. Just One Of A Kind
09. I Gotta Start Somewhere
10. Who's Cryin' Baby
11. The Water Is Wide
12. Bluegrass Saturday Night


Rhonda Vincent is not only one of modern bluegrass music's most conspicuously talented artists, she is also one of the savviest and cleverest. As an artist she's a triple threat: her voice is sharp, clear, and sweet; she's a fine mandolin player; and she's pretty and not afraid to show a little skin (which guarantees her plenty of attention in the normally rather dowdy and male-oriented bluegrass world). But she has also built a musical niche for herself that sets her apart from the pack without alienating (most) purists: rather than resorting to the time-honored practice of blending bluegrass with pop and rock influences, she tempers her traditional material with elements of modern country and Western swing -- the latter a more unusual stylistic interpolation than you might think (perhaps because swinging jazz rhythms are so foreign to bluegrass, which is usually very rhythmically square). Good Thing Going finds Vincent bringing all of those styles together to create a very solid and enjoyable program. There are a few high-octane barnburners ("I'm Leavin'," "Bluegrass Saturday Night," a roaring version of the Jimmy Martin classic "Hit Parade of Love") and they're all very fun, but the standout tracks are the ones that depart a bit from the standard: the swinging "World's Biggest Fool," the country-folky "I Gotta Start Somewhere" (with drums, yikes), the Eagles-ish "Just One of a Kind," and a sumptuously lovely version of the old Irish song "The Water Is Wide." Her regular band is augmented by a guest list that includes Jesse McReynolds, Russell Moore, and Bryan Sutton, among others, and everything hangs together beautifully. Very highly recommended.

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