The New Grass Revival went through several personnel changes before reaching its final lineup -- Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Pat Flynn and John Cowan -- which represented a near-perfect blend of virtuoso, groundbreaking instrumentalists and appealing, accessible singers. Since the group broke up in 1991, the four ex-members have found it hard to attain the same balance. Fleck hasn't even tried, devoting himself to his all-instrumental Flecktones. Cowan joined the ill-fated Sky Kings, who released a few mainstream-country singles and flopped. Flynn recently produced the debut album by the NGR-modeled quartet, Crucial Smith.
Only Sam Bush has attempted to re-create the NGR blend of picking and singing on his own solo albums. His previous attempt, 1996's "Glamour & Grits," was done in by his own underwhelming vocals. Bush gives it another shot on this year's "Howlin' at the Moon," and his singing has improved considerably. No one's going to mistake him for Del McCoury or Peter Rowan, but Bush has learned to sing within his limitations. Instead of reaching for notes or effects he can't get, he focuses on what he can do and puts across the songs effectively. Playing mandolin and fiddle with dazzling dexterity, Bush leads a pool of all-star musicians -- including Fleck, Cowan, Jerry Douglas and J.D. Crowe -- through both originals and such odd covers as Steve Winwood's "Hold On." Nash Ramblers Bush, Jon Randall and Emmylou Harris sing "Song for Roy," a tribute to their late bandmate Roy Huskey Jr., which is followed by "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," the last piece Bush recorded with Huskey.
Cowan, who sings harmony and one lead on "Howlin' at the Moon," stands out as a bluegrass singer because he brings his love of old-fashioned R&B to the form. He shared that affection on a much sought-after 1986 EP, "(soul'd out)." When collectors pressured Sugar Hill into reissuing that six-song EP, Cowan went back into the studio last year and cut five more Southern soul songs in the same style. The result is an 11-track collection of well-known songs by Wilson Pickett, Al Green, Bobby Bland and the like done straightforwardly by Cowan, who doesn't eclipse the originals but does them fine tribute.
Advertisement
Also reissued this spring is another hard-to-find album, "Telluride Sessions," by Strength in Numbers, a quintet that included Bush, Fleck, Douglas, Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer. Most all-star sessions either degenerate into formless jam sessions or get overwhelmed by one strong personality. This 1989 session avoided both dangers by having each member write one instrumental with each other member. The meticulous preparation lent a chamber-music precision to the proceedings and allowed each picker to display his prowess without obscuring the emotional core of each piece. It's one of the best new-grass albums ever. Sam Bush and John Cowan appear Friday at the Birchmere with Darrel Scott and Larry Atamanuik. To hear a free Sound Bite from Sam Bush, call Post-Haste at 202/334-9000 and press 8110. For a Sound Bite from John Cowan, press 8111. For a Sound Bite from Strength in Numbers, press 8112. (Prince William residents, call 690-4110.)
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZK6zr8eirZ5nnJ6zpr%2FTsqOeZ2Fuhnl7j25mam1fqK6uecGuqqFlmKTErbXNZpitZaSdsm65zqilaGhnmLB0ssNuZHBqZJl6dbLCaWRxaGNqeqaBk2yanG9oa7OkgI4%3D