Mountain Heart – No Other Way

Mountain Heart was voted IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year in 1999, before they’d even released their debut album. That makes for an interesting piece of bluegrass music trivia, but it’s hardly anything you can build a career on. Successful careers are built on exceptional albums and heartfelt live performances — something past Emerging Artist winners have frequently failed to deliver.

Mountain Heart delivers. They followed the release of their self-titled 2000 debut with IBMA honors for Gospel Recorded Performance with 2001’s The Journey and for Mandolin Player (Adam Steffey).

No Other Way seems sure to prolong their winning streak. It marks the first time Mountain Heart has worked with producer Ricky Skaggs, and is their first full recording with Steffey and bassist Jason Moore, who join founding members Steve Gulley, Barry Abernathy and Jim VanCleve.

The band’s depth is a major asset. Steffey, Gulley and Abernathy share lead vocals; their tight harmonies shine on numbers such as “Tedious And Tasteless”, a traditional gospel tune performed a cappella. With his original “Real Time” and the standard “Lee Highway Blues”, VanCleve suggests he’s just a solo album away from IBMA’s Fiddle Player of the Year award.

Song selection is another strength. Mountain Heart balances the traditional sounds of hardcore country (“How Strong Do My Walls Have To Be”) and bluegrass (“Gambler’s Blues”) with strong contemporary material from Shawn Lane and Tim Stafford, both members of Blue Highway. Perhaps their only misstep is including songs such as “Go Away” and “Faithless Heart”, which lean more toward the smooth vocal stylings of pop country.