Nashville Via Boone – Andy Ferrell
Rob Dickens
Posted On May 17, 2016
Andy Ferrell was born in Boone, North Carolina and grew up in the heart of the magical Blue Ridge Mountains, the birthplace of Appalachian traditional music and the source of so much inspiration and spirit. A love of the work of Doc Watson, Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt (now there’s a mighty trio!) and the influence of a folk guitarist father has seemingly sealed his fate.
At Home and In Nashville is the name of his 2016 album and it is a beautiful fit, as it bridges the quiet homespun lifestyle with the busy bright lights and glamour of Music City. The album was recorded, in fact, between Nashville (Quad Studios with a full band of session players) and Boone (in a house with an adoring live audience) and it contains an intriguing blend of old-time traditional roots songs with a more polished country sound.
The album shows how dexterous Ferrell has been in accommodating both styles and places. Importantly, the album oozes fun and a revelry of the music that he loves. His vocal style is joyful and easy, sometimes sounding a little like Justin Townes Earle.
The pedal steel augments the sound and the songs are tales of hard work and unpredictable love. Listen to the stories of an outlaw (‘Run Billy Run’), a drifter (‘The Price of Freedom’) and a barroom (‘Photographs and Letters’) and you will be taken with this young man’s songwriting ability and his eye for real human stories.
At Home and In Nashville is fresh and respectful. Andy Ferrell is a talent.
