Borderline Bluegrass

Although I would've preferred hearing a few more mandolin breaks, I was very pleasantly surprised by the high quality contemporary bluegrass music that the relatively young California-based based band, Borderline, has produced on their debut project, "Keeper of the Door." Not to be confused with Borderline Bluegrass (from Montana) or Paul Adkins' Borderline Band, this group is Rick Grant, Josie Donegan, Kris Hare, and Allen Light. Together for about a year now, they're from the Chico, Ca. area. Hare and Grant lay down some proficient fills and breaks on banjo and fiddle/mandolin, respectively. The guitar and bass rhythm section of Donegan and Light provides a solid foundation with controlled tempos and energetic drive. Special guest (and project engineer) Eric Uglum provides some mandolin and lead guitar.

Borderline's biggest strengths revolve around their creative choice in repertoire, as well their well-rehearsed vocalizing by all four members of the group. I wish that liner notes would've given specific song-by song credits for both instruments and vocals. For example, with two mandolinists on the album, which passages are Grant's and which are Uglum's? Josie Donegan is Borderline's lead vocalist, and she is a fairly recent convert to bluegrass music after hearing some James King and Hazel Dickens played during an automobile trip. She covers Dickens' "I Can't Find Your Love" and King's "The Moon Shines Down" on this disc, which also includes some nice lead guitar work by Uglum. The other woman in the group, Kris Hare, is no stranger to bluegrass in the region. Her impressive banjo playing is crisp and confident, demonstrating full understanding of rolls, hammer-ons, pull-offs, string bends, lead and backup techniques. Rick Grant and Allen Light have also been involved in the regional bluegrass scene for quite some time. Light apparently is also a lead vocalist, but this album doesn't offer any songs to showcase his lead vocals. That might've been nice for a change-up to Donegan's featured singer status. I wish that the band's liner notes, promo and website all would offer more about their individual backgrounds and biographical information.

Borderline opens the project with a bouncy and nicely-arranged rendition of Stephen Foster's "Old Kentucky Home." Jon Weisberger's "Losing Again" is executed with emotionally-charged proficiency, although I still prefer The Chapmans' driving version of this song. Nashville songwriter Allen Reynolds wrote "Wrong Road Again," a hit for Crystal Gayle. The album's midpoint presents three slower numbers to convey other musical moods. The title cut comes from the Georgia-based Gillis Brothers, Pete Kuykendall (Pete Roberts) wrote "I am Weary," and Ralph Stanley penned "If That's the Way You Feel." Two songs, "Love Me or Leave Me" and "Move On" were penned by Bill Bryson. That latter is a beautiful gospel song, and these kinds of songs are actually an area of specialty for Borderline who close this project with an a capella quartet, "Building on the Rock," that has spirtually-tinged, spine-tingling moments as they modulate upward and downward with only their voices.

One definition of "borderline" is marginal or just below standard. Don't be mistaken by that erroneous connotation in this case. There's nothing below average about the California-based Borderline bluegrass band. In fact, this showcase album indicates that they have their chops and vocals down. They have the potential to become headliners at every festival in the region. While I'd personally like to see them expand to a full five-piece group, the current quartet (with guest Eric Uglum) gives us a diverse presentation with plentiful rewards. (Joe Ross)

BORDERLINE - Keeper of the Door
No label, no number
217 Valley View Drive, Paradise, CA 95969