J.D. Crowe And The New South - Traditional Bluegrass (2002)

J.D. Crowe & the New South's 1975 eponymous debut album is one of the most influential and pioneering records in the history of bluegrass. For the first edition of the New South, Crowe assembled a stellar group of musicians -- including Ricky Skaggs (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Tony Rice (lead vocals, guitar), and Jerry Douglas (dobro) -- and gave them each equal weight. Consequently, this is vibrant collaborative music, not just a leader with some faceless studio hacks. Furthermore, Crowe pushed the music in new direction with his section of material, taking songs from contemporary singer/songwriters like Gordon Lightfoot, adding a couple of originals, as well as standards. With such an eclectic selection of songs, plus the band's trailblazing instrumental style, The New South did indeed offer a new kind of bluegrass and its impact could still be felt years after its release.

J.D. Crowe and the New South, is reissued from 1975 / 2002 and as the press rightly suggests “boasts probably the greatest line-up of talent of any American band in any genre: banjoist Crowe, bassist Bob Sloane of the Kentucky Colonels, fiddle and mandolin player Ricky Skaggs, dobroist Jerry Douglas, and guitarist/vocalist Tony Rice.” Fifty years later, it is still one of the finest Bluegrass albums ever made. Universally known by its original catalogue number Rounder 44 and selected to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant,” anyone who hasn’t heard this album needs to pick up this reissue and listen to where much of the progressive Bluegrass and NuGrass played today originated. ‘You Are What I Am’ contains some of the finest performances of this stellar band. Other songs that form the core of Bluegrass include ‘Some Old Day’ and ‘Sally Goodin.’

The reissue includes two bonus tracks ‘Why Don’t You Tell Me So’ and ‘Cryin’ Holy’, which features Emmylou Harris. Both are good enough to make us wonder how they missed the cut in 1975.