Marty Raybon – Full Circle

The not-so-old Marty Raybon, long the vocalist of the country pop group Shenandoah, has a voice so aged and smoky that he can sound like Grandpa Jones’ own grandpa. That’s the overriding strong suit on this strikingly-backed solo offering, which marries fiery traditional bluegrass, contemporary country ballads, and grass/twang/country-rock fusions.

Half the tunes are varied, well-chosen classics from the repertoires of Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin. Raybon and company’s mad-rush attacks on Monroe’s “Rocky Road” and “White House” combine the required fire with a jazzy smoothness many established bands would envy. (Shad Cobb, on sweet fiddle, is a major contributor to that tone, as are Rob Ickes on dobro and David Talbot on banjo.) Martin may be the more important influence — not just on tunes he wrote, such as the fast, funny “Home Run Man” and the light-touch gospel “Prayer Bells of Heaven”, but on Raybon’s many country-chart-meets-bluegrass combos.

Some of these are in a contemporary vein likely to appeal to demanding mainstream fans of, say, Alan Jackson; others are more mindful of the bluegrass diva ballad styles of Alison Krauss or Rhonda Vincent. Several, surprisingly, reflect affection for late ’60s country rock; Raybon’s self-penned “Websters Definition” recalls “Gentle On My Mind”, and his catchy “That’s One” echoes The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek”. The upbeat married love song “Next To You Next To Me” defies categorization, appealingly.

The disc’s title, Full Circle, notes Raybon’s return to the bluegrass he grew up singing — but it’s also appropriate for a collection with such border-busting range.