ALBUM REVIEW: East Nash Grass Brings Live Spirit to ‘Last Chance to Win’
Nancy Posey
Posted On August 17, 2023
If indeed East Nash Grass is betting it all on Last Chance to Win, the follow-up to their 2021 self-titled debut, the odds of success are stacked in their favor. The album opens with an old-time vibe on the title track, with the band’s five members pulling out all the stops on instrumental breaks. The song alludes to “playing tunes to empty rooms,” an irony that might amuse fans who pack their live performances, including a long-running Monday night gig at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in Madison, Tennessee. The band began performing together at the local East Nashville bar six years ago and continues weekly gigs there even as they tour around the country and make guest appearances at Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman and other iconic venues.
Nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2023 New Artist of the Year award, the members of East Nash Grass have an impressive array of individual awards and performances on stage and in the studio backing some of the biggest names in bluegrass. Something magical happens, though, when they play together. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts as they bring their high energy and humor to their unparalleled musical talent.
East Nash Grass (photo by Aaron Fishbein)
With Last Chance to Win, the band captures their unique dynamics in the studio as well. On the album, as in their live performances, the band has no apparent leader. Instead, lead and harmony vocals are shared by guitarist James Kee, mandolinist Harry Clark, dobro player Gaven Largent, banjo player Cory Walker, and fiddler Maddie Denton, giving texture to their performances, anchored by Jeff Picker on bass.
The album, with its solid traditional sound, balances originals by band members with songs from a wide range of other sources. Listeners may need to read the liner notes to distinguish the original tracks from standards and songs mined from deep album cuts. While some bands rely on one songwriter in the group, all of the members of East Nash Grass contribute their songwriting skills.
In one of the most engaging tracks on the album, Kee sings lead on “I Almost Told Her,” a jaunty tune he wrote about missed opportunities. “Scarlet Iris,” written and sung by Clark, also carves out a place alongside bluegrass standards. Clark sings lead again on the infectious “Papa’s on the Housetop,” first recorded in 1930 by Leroy Carr.
The band also covers Johnny Rodriguez’s “How Could I Love Her So Much” and Bill Anderson’s “Slippin’ Away,” delivering a bluegrass flavor to these country hits. The songs showcase East Nash Grass’ four-part harmony and instrumental breaks from all its talented musicians, evidence of the members’ award-winning talent.
The album closes with “Railroadin’ and Gamblin’” — a lightning-fast rendition of the Uncle Dave Macon classic packing the energy and instrumental talent the band has always brought to live performances. Without question, this album appears far from East Nash Grass’ “Last Chance,” but rather just the beginning.
East Nash Grass’ Last Chance to Win comes out Aug. 18.
