"Bona Fide"

If there's one thing "O Brother Where Art Thou" has given today's music, aside from the rising awareness of American roots music and a LOT of focus on traditional sounds, it  is an amazingly increased access to brand-new bluegrass music and musicians.  One of the labels giving us that
access is Sugar Hill Records, who are showcasing these talents to an ever-increasing, very appreciative audience.  So what better time and place for The Gibson Brothers' "Bona Fide"?  Because it is certainly, and completely, "bona fide" (the liner notes translate the Latin phrase so, "1. made in good faith without fraud or deceit; 2. made with earnest intent; 3. neither specious nor counterfeit.  synonyms: 'authentic.'" It's all that, and more.)        

This talented brotherly duo bring to their music a rustic, yet modern, approach that's beautifully country, pure and unadulterated, and absolutely REAL.  Old-timey music that sounds perfectly contemporary is surely an affront to those who seem to think that turning country into pop music is the normal "evolution" of the sound; well, to them, this is what country/mountain music evolution SHOULD sound like.  Old traditions with a new approach, it just makes for some great music.        

The brothers, Leigh and Eric Gibson (vocals/guitar and vocals/banjo, respectively), together with backup from a slew of tremendous pickers and fiddlers (including, but not limited to, Jason Carter, Sam Zucchini, Mike Barber, Marc MacGlashan, Jeff Taylor, and Luke Bulla), present plain old modern bluegrass (country) music without any pretense.  They're making music they like for people who like it, nothing more or less.        

Most of the songs on "Bona Fide" are written by the one or the other brother, occasionally both, with the odd traditional piece or two thrown in, as well as a contribution from the Storyteller, Tom T. Hall, "Don't Forget The Coffee, Billy Joe."  (Tom T. also sits in on this for a "cameo" vocal, and he wrote a brief intro for the disc's liner notes.)        

Strong pieces such as "Arleigh," "Railroad Line," "Where Nobody Knows My Name," and the amazing "Vern's Guitar" show us a pair of musicians who not only play and sing tremendously well, but obviously can write one hell of a song.  Lyrics which are deceptively simple nonetheless contain tremendous meaning and are delivered with serious one-two punch.  The "dare you to sit still" "That Bluegrass Music" is the song that pretty much says it all.        

To cap off my favorable impression, imagine my surprise when the final track started, and it turned out to be a gospel hymn I had just been looking for, "The Lighthouse."  The boys' sister, Erin Gibson, contributes her lovely voice to this passionately delivered tune.        

As always, country music would do well to pull bluegrass back into the fold before it's spun off completely.  Bluegrass is a sub-genre of country and not a category all its own.  Bluegrass helps to truly put the "country" in country, and these boys sure do know how to bring it all home.  It's a strong disc and a terrific listen, well worth slipping into the player many, many times.

http://www.gibsonbrothers.com/