Farewell, Drifters – Sweet Summer Breeze
Young, sincere and enthusiastic, the Farewell Drifters pulled together their debut disc in short order with some help from experienced engineer Ben Surratt and producer Glen Garrett. Sweet Summer Breeze is a terrific snapshot of where the group is now, with the bulk of the material written by rhythm guitarist / lead singer Zach Bevill and, especially, mandolinist Joshua Britt. The songs are melodically catchy and rhythmically convincing, trumping the occasional lyrical misstep. The Drifters music is hardly traditional bluegrass, yet their focus on concise, neat arrangements keeps them hovering in that area, even as their youth and fresh perspective pulls them in a different direction. Theyre still developing their instrumental chops, but they already have some interesting things to say, as well as a dedication to pushing forward that suggests theyll be around for some time to come.