Ten years with the same lineup is practically unheard of in bluegrass, and while technically speaking, Blue Highway doesn’t quite qualify — banjoist Jason Burleson dropped out for a year or so halfway through that stretch — to focus on the footnote is to miss the point: Blue Highway is an unusually cohesive group with a strong musical identity. Their third Rounder album makes a compelling argument that they’re also among the music’s most underrated acts.
As Jon Hartley Fox’s liner notes suggest, the difference between the Scott Rouse-produced Marbletown and its predecessors is incremental, not dramatic, and why shouldn’t it be? Instrumentally, the band has always been rock solid, with award-winning dobro man Rob Ickes and guitarist Tim Stafford standing out as especially distinctive stylists (though Shawn Lane’s mandolin playing has yet to get the attention it merits).
They have great singing, too; Lane and bassist Wayne Taylor offer a well-matched duet complemented by (and sometimes complementing) Stafford’s lower but still plenty lonesome vocals. These traits have been the foundation of Blue Highway’s sound from the beginning, and by now they’re well polished , yet without a trace of staleness.
What really makes the group stand out, though, is the quality of its songwriting. Their Rounder debut, Still Climbing Mountains, made the point undeniable, but the disc’s release date — September 11, 2001 — ensured that it was all but lost. Here, with ten new songs complementing the two covers that kick off the disc, the group confirms that the deep originality of its predecessor was no fluke.
Memorable tunes, vivid imagery, and thoughtful, precise turns of phrase succeed one another, with Taylor, Stafford and Lane each making contributions that are distinctive and yet reflective of a collective Blue Highway sound and style. The result is an album that merits attention especially from those with an interest in songcraft — but really, from anyone with an ear for good music.
