The Railsplitters - The Faster It Goes (2015)

The most recent offering from Colorado band the Railsplitters, The Faster It Goes, serves up more of the band's winning combination of musicianship and songwriting, led by Lauren Stovall's signature vocals. For this album, though, they've added a new member, Christine King on fiddle, making their instrumentation the classic bluegrass five-piece.
While there isn't an obvious single on this recording that stands out like "My World," the breakout hit on their self-titled first album, there is a solid collection of songs here, many of them penned by banjo player Dusty Rider. Though the band is usually slotted into the alternative bluegrass or new acoustic genres, their songs are really folk-pop numbers, with the occasional lyrical nod to the more traditional music they clearly know so well, like the familiar house carpenter tale in "Salt Salt Sea," and the sweet love story that unfolds in "Met That Day."
The band's talents are on full display on "It's A Little Late," which features punchy mandolin and banjo rhythm, great bass playing by Leslie Ziegler, nice harmony singing and Stovall hitting eyebrow-raising high notes. Most of the songs on the album are uptempo and tightly arranged, but "The Estuary" is a nice exception, a slow instrumental waltz written by Pete Sharpe and featuring a lovely interplay between his mandolin and King's fiddle. Then, just when you think you've got them figured out, they venture into doo-wop territory with the cute crooner, "Tell Me."
It's easy to see why this band have gotten so much attention, and this impressive sophomore album is an indication that they've got staying power, too.