Formerly with “Out of the Blue,” bassist Paul Schoenlaub is now collaborating with guitarist Linda Erickson in a band is called “Red Dirt Road.” Their music is 99 percent original acoustic country and bluegrass songs written by Linda or Paul. This debut recording took over a year to produce and was released in February, 2003. The band will appear at Wintergrass, Stevenson and Hood River in 2003. At Wintergrass, Paul and Linda were accompanied by Paul Elliott, Forrest Gibson, and Dale Williams. “Red Dirt Road” was mostly recorded at Eggcrate Studio (Salem, Or.) by Dale Adkins, with some recorded at Laural Inn Studio by Joe Wilmhoff (Seattle, Wa.).The players on the CD besides Paul and Linda are Paul Elliott, Dale Williams, Peter Schwimmer, John Reischman, John Bubb, Dale Adkins, Joe Wilmhoff and Greg Clarke.

Red Dirt Road’s debut album features 13 original songs written by Paul Schoenlaub or Linda Erickson (plus one cover, “I Dreamed My Baby Came Home,” from George Jones and Johnny Mathis). Schoenlaub contributes and sings six songs, and Erickson wrote and sings seven. I especially liked two of Paul’s songs that span two ends of a musical spectrum: an uptempo bluegrassy “Down the Road I Go” and a slow reflective solo ballad, “”Drawn to the Flame” that interweaves some tasty fiddle, mandolin and guitar fills. As for Linda’s compositions, she also shows a knack for writing hard-driving numbers like “Hard Rain,” but her real success lies in the moderate melodic messages of songs like “Wind Rivers,” “It’s Just a Dream,” and what fans describe as “that Louvin Brothers’ song she wrote” entitled “I’m Wondering.” My only suggestion for an album with this magnitude of original material would be to include lyrics in the album’s jacket. This band should take their original contemporary sound on the road, and they should also get their songs into the hands of top bluegrass and country acts looking for fresh, new material.    

You need to pick up a copy of this. With its eclectic mix of bluegrass and acoustic country, this album could easily become one of my  top favorites for 2003. My compliments to Linda, Paul and their professional accompanists for some very high quality, well-written and produced music from the northwest.  (Joe Ross) Total Playing Time - 47:25

RED DIRT ROAD - Red Dirt Road
Red Dirt RDR-001
222 N.W. 196th Place
Shoreline, WA. 98177