Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Album Review: Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line - Carnival

I first crossed paths with Nora Jane Struthers when sent her self titled CD a few years back and quickly realized this was one artist who was on the rise. Since then I've followed her at a distance, as see joined and fronted the now defunct bluegrass outfit Bearfoot and then struck out with her own band Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line. And I finally was able to see her live and in person at this year's Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion plus purchase a copy of her latest CD Carnival.

What a treat. Carnival is all original music, straight out of the old style country-Americana tradition. And with the assistance of The Party Line - P. J. George, Joe Overton, Aaron Jonah Lewis, and Drew Lawhorn - their sound is like a fine wine: a fresh nose, structure, a little earthy dirt, and a long finish. My favorite tracks are a few they played at the festival: The Bakers Boys, Carnival, Bike Ride, and my ultimate favorite, Travelin On. Percussionist Laworn displays some major skills maintaining rhythm with his hands, thighs, and beatbox. Pretty cool. Check out this CD or see the band on tour now. I'll be at their D.C. stop at Gypsy Sally's on October 15th. Cheers.

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