Jimmy Bowen is no stranger to bluegrass music. From North Carolina, the mandolinist and tenor singer who now makes his home in Tennessee played with the Country Gentlemen from 1988-1994. They toured the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and played the Grand Ole Opry, TNN's Nashville Now television show, and the White House in Washington, DC. From 1995-1998, Bowen picked with Continental Divide, and they won the IBMA's 1995 Emerging Artist of the Year award.

In 1998, Bowen started his own band, Santa Fe, with Gary Reece (banjo), Ron Lane (guitar) and John Pennell (bass). All four sing, and it would have been nice if liner notes would have identified who was singing what. Fiddler Ron Stewart appears as a guest. Gary Reece performed with Bill Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as with The Wayne Lewis Band. West Virginian Ron Lane has performed with several regional groups. John Pennell was an original member of Alison Krauss & Union Station and  wrote many of their hits including "Too Late To Cry," "Foolish Heart," and "Every Time You Say Goodbye." He's also played with Harley Allen and Chris Jones.

I was surprised that Pennell doesn't contribute any originals on this project. Instead, the thirteen cuts come from a variety of writers, Hank Williams, Hal Ketchum, Harley Allen, Carter Stanley and others. Some is fairly standard material, but it's nice to see the band cover less-often heard songs like "Life or Love," "Wildwood Flower Blues," and the title cut. The band's trademark is Jimmy Bowen's high lead tenor vocals that soar like an eagle above the clouds. The rest of the band's singers have average voices, but they're not afraid to tackle some tough material and vocal arrangements like "Lonesome River" and "Making Plans."

A collaboration of Ron Lane and Gary Campbell, "Six Months Down," is a prisoner's snappy tale about having a year of time left to serve. "John Hardy" closes the album with plenty of hustle and zip, but a little more of Bowen's mandolin the mix would have been nice. These guys have a lot of potential, and they have a very solid foundation of bluegrass perceptiveness. They'd make a great addition to a festival's lineup, especially if they bring along Ron Stewart or a fiddler of similar capability. (Joe Ross)

Santa Fe Records SF-5305
2508 Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet, TN 37122
WEB: www.jimmybowen.com
Playing Time - 41:55

Songs - 1) I Know I Haven't Got The Right To Love You, 2) Cold Cold Heart, 3) Life Or Love, 4) Lord Don't Forsake Me, 5) Some Place Far Away, 6) Lonesome River, 7) Wildwood Flower Blues, 8) Making Plans, 9) You Can Count On Me, 10) House Of Gold, 11) Six Months Down, 12) Seven Bridges Road, 13) John Hardy