Crooked Still has hit another one out of the park with their brand new release “Some Strange Country” (Signature Sounds SIG 2029). Their fourth studio CD continues in the same vein as their previous records, mining the rich ore of traditional Americana and smelting it in a hot brew of alternative bluegrass licks and breathy Krauss/Celtic style vocals from Aoife O’Donovan. The barn-burning banjo and fiddle of Gregory Liszt and Brittany Haas are buoyed by the low foundation of cello (Tristan Clarridge) and bass fiddle (Corey DiMario). The material features seven traditionals, four originals, and a Rolling Stones cover. Guest vocalists include Ricky Skaggs, Tim O’Brien, Sarah Jarosz, and Annalisa Tornfelt—a list that reflects the band’s strong ties to both the trad and contemporary bluegrass worlds.
“The music is not just ‘alternative bluegrass’ or whatever people used to call it,” Brittany Haas remarks. “It’s at another level now: artful, but still grounded in that funky, string band thing.” Here is a preview MP3 and recent video clip. Enjoy!
LISTEN: Henry Lee (MP3)
WATCH: Crooked Still performs “Locust in the Willow” at WNRN in Charlottesville, Virginia on April 26, 2010.
here’s a great story on Crooked Still:
http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/crooked-still-one-of-the