Album Review: Katie Glassman and Snapshot - Dream a Little Dream

Thanks to McGuckin Publicity, I've been following fiddler champion Katie Glassman for a couple years now. That interest was solidified when she named grand champion at the 2014 Colorado Fiddle Championships in February of this year. This on the heals of winning fiddle competitions at Rockygrass and Walnut Valley Festival in 2013. Obviously, she can play.

Then came along word that her latest album, Dream a Little Dream, was released March 4th. Glassman's new band, Snapshot, includes Eric Moon on piano and accordion, Greg Schochet on guitar, and Charlie Mertens on bass as well as guest appearances by Tim O'Brien and John Macy (pedal steel). Nice supporting cast. The music is a combo of old-time western swine augmented with some early 20th century jazz; a sound which is far from surprising since Glassman is also a trained jazz violinist. The result is a new style of music that melds these influences together into an enjoyable sound from the first track to the last. I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine, Little Dream of Mine, and Jubilee Stomp are two of the clearest examples of this blending of styles.  Glassman's songwriting and vocals shine in Sweet Lies, one of those powerful songs that linger long after the last note; Good Times Gone By is another favorite track. Cheers to fiddle music.