Larry Stephenson has been with the reputable Pinecastle/Webco Record label now for fifteen years so "Clinch Mountain Mystery" is a bit of an anniversary celebration too.  At track three, the title cut comes from the pens of Tom T. and Dixie Hall and tells the story of a man and woman who meet a gruesome fate. The Halls also contribute "The Pretty Blue Dress." A nice choice of material from the likes of Curtis McPeake, Bill Harrell, Wayne Raney, Randall Hylton, Don Bowman, Jimmy Wakely, and others is featured. Larry Stephenson's own "My Baby Back To Me" closes the project.

Besides Larry on mandolin and vocals, the band includes Aaron McDaris (banjo, vocals), Randy Barnes (bass, vocals), and Dustin Benson (harmony vocals on four cuts). Guest musicians include Bryan Sutton (guitar), Bobby Hicks (fiddle, six cuts), and Ronnie Stewart (fiddle, five cuts).

Larry Stephenson does a fine job on mandolin, but the instrumental standout on this album is clearly guitarist Bryan Sutton who is the man with drive. Hicks and Stewart are no slouches either, and McDaris' banjo is mighty proficient. The band's signature sound, of course, is built around Larry's high lead tenor, a voice featured on more than two dozen albums. Besides the title track, Larry also arranges  "Those Gone and Left Me Blues" for just solo vocals. Randy Barnes does a fine job singing lead on "I Can't Bear the Thought of Losing You."

The band offers a couple triple timed songs (A Heart Never Knows, The Pretty Blue Dress), and "Cruzin' in Overdrive" is a spirited instrumental. "Someone's Gotta Cry" demonstrates how to play a slow song with excellent precision and timing. I was impressed that the band can interpret high-stepping bluegrass with the same zing as it does with beautiful ballads and contemporary numbers. A minor suggestion might've been to also include a gospel number in this set.

Hailing originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Stephenson now lives in Nashville. He began playing mandolin at age five, and his father was an award-winning musician. Larry's first band (in high school) was "Larry Stephenson and New Grass." Over the years, he's worked with Cliff Waldron, Leon Morris, and Bill Harrell. In 1983, Larry joined The Bluegrass Cardinals, and in 1989 formed his own band. The year 1995 found him making his first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry, and 1996 brought him induction into the Virginia Country Music Hall of Fame. Each year, June 23rd is Larry Stephenson Day in Crewe, VA.

Stephenson once said that he likes everything about bluegrass, a music he calls "good, real and honest." And we'd find it difficult to not like everything about his band and this latest album project.  (Joe Ross)

THE LARRY STEPHENSON BAND - CLINCH MOUNTAIN MYSTERY
Pinecastle Records PRC-1134
PO BOX 456, Orlando, FL. 32802
www.pinecastle.com

Playing Time - 37:22
Song List: 1. Dixieland For Me, 2. A Heart Never Knows, 3. Clinch Mountain Mystery, 4. Why Don't You Haul Off And Love Me, 5. Cruzin' In Overdrive, 6. Dirty Ole Alabama Mud, 7. Someone's Gotta Cry, 8. Those Gone And Left Me Blues, 9. The Pretty Blue Dress, 10. A Memory Of You, 11. I Can't Bear The Thought Of Losing You, 12. My Baby Back To Me