This excellent album was presented to me as bluegrass, and although there is some very good bluegrass on the album (Hat’s Off, My Side of the Mountain) there is also country
(Pass Me the Whiskey, The Leaves are Changin’), straight singer/songwriter (Leaves and Pods, The Power) as well as the jazzy Tied Down to You and the funky strut of Lemon Squeezy. I kinda feel that the point of the band is to push aside any such strict genre definition and just make good music – and in this they succeed.
The line up is two banjos, mandolin, doghouse bass, guitar, resonator guitar and the delightful, surprise guest trumpet of Andy Wilson which is really well used as an unexpected accent. All the band contribute vocals, but the main vocalist is Lindsay Lou (Rilko) who has a flexible and appealing voice that she uses well and her talents extend to the cover artwork.
It is a good album, beautifully produced with (generally) good songs, although I could have done without the instrumental Barbarossa and the earnest singer/songwriterish The Power, but this is a personal quirk and they could be your favourites. I would definitely search for RELEASE YOUR SHROUDS as it is an honest and very enjoyable – and in places, even danceable album.