The Steeldrivers

The Steeldrivers

I really enjoyed this CD. The Steeldrivers are a "veteran" band comprised of several experienced songwriters and session musicians...mostly from Tennessee. The CD is on the Rounder label and produced in Nashville. It has been well received, at least from many reviews I read on iTunes and Amazon. Many of the songs were traditional bluegrass- reminding me of early Allison Krauss and Union Station as well as early Ricky Skaggs. What sets the CD apart for me however, was that thye went beyond traditional bluegrass with many of the cuts really country-blues. My favorite songs (liked them enough to download on my iPod) were Blue Side of the Mountain (reminded me of Levon Helm's new CD). If it Hadn't Been for Love and To be With you Again. My favorite cut is Sticks That Made Thunder. A terrific song...more folk/country than bluegrass. A real strength of the CD is the unique vocals of Chris Stapleton. Some reviews I read compared his vocals to Tom Waits, but I think that best comparison is Travis Tritt. Very traditional country blues. Had the entire CD been "just bluegrass", it still would of been "good", but with the musicianship to also add a real good country/roots/blues sound too made the CD standout for me. – John Rumery, WYCE Music Review Committee

Quick Links:

• Official Site