Hailing from Virginia, the Hackensaw Boys put a youthful, theatrical spin on bluegrass and old-time music. It's a bumpy ride, the all-acoustic band riding a teeter-totter between poignancy and irreverence, sincerity and whimsy. They have fun on "Cannonball" and the sexually playful "Kiss You Down There". The quieter songs are pretty-sounding, "Bordertown" and "Buildings Are The Cages" to name two. The singing here is unpretentious, the vocalists sounding at times like they sat down to the microphones before breakfast after partying late. Love What You Do is a good record, though I came away feeling like The Hackensaw Boys might be a bigger hoot to catch in live performance.

I hold John Hartford up there with Foster, Newbury, Kristofferson, Dylan, Van Zandt, Prine and a handful of others as among the finest writers in the American song tradition. John's son, Jamie Hartford, has chosen a resonant dozen of his dad's compositions – eleven songs, one instrumental – and channeled them. Jamie's voice is close enough to his dad's to raise goosebumps. It's also softer at the center, disarming in the new colors it finds in these melodies. The instrumentation is acoustic, tasteful and appropriate, with many old friends of the Hartfords chiming in. "Old Time River Man", "Today", "Wish We Had Our Time Again" and the title song stop time, reveal a son whose heart is big enough to carry his father's heartbeat forward. Few albums have had as powerful an effect on me upon first listen. Many listens later, I'm still lifted up. This music is part of our history.

The album web site. Buy from amazon  Released Nov. 2005. Reviewed by Doug Lang.

COLLIN HERRING
The Other Side Of Kindness... (Phantom)

THE HIDEAWAYS
The Whiskey Tango Sessions... (Big Bender/Den)

Considering their Southern California roots, it's not too surprising that this quartet tends to sound a lot like the Eagles in their early days, when they were going up the musical gears instead of cruising along on four cylinders, as of late. Formerly known as Whiskey Tango, their debut CD features some good writing, as in the opening track, “Don't Try & Love Me”, blended with an ear for a tune with a hook. Having four vocalists is a bonus when it comes to versatility, from a wistful “Long Dark Road”, to a whiskey cruise down the “El Centro County Line” or the “Badlands”-ish “Picture Of Lonely”. For a first kick at the cat, this is a pretty good boot.

CHRIS HILLMAN
The Other Side (Sovereign Artists)

“Funny How The Circle is a Wheel”, (1973). Way back in '65, the Byrds first caught our attention with their electrification and rockification, (is there such a word?.. no matter, there is now), of some of Dylan's writings, which, in my estimation, was the insemination of country rock. The opening track of the other side, brings the wheel full circle with the country/bluegrassification, (another new word), of one of the quintessential rock songs of the psychedelic era, “Eight Miles High”. Instead of McGuinn's soaring Rickenbacker 12 string, the lead lines are handled in the main by mandolin, banjo, and fiddle, and it is very nice indeed. Hillman has assembled a fine collection of ‘the usual suspects' of bluegrass musicians herein, starting with the redoubtable Herb Petersen on rhythm, banjo, and harmony, and including a pretty flash dobro player, Sally Van Meter. The majority of the songs might appear overly reliant upon gospel and spiritual foundations to some listeners, but, last time I looked, those were the hallmarks of bluegrass music, and, really, who should give a rat's ass when the product is as good as Hillman does it? I've admired the various incarnations that this man has gone through over the last four decades, and this release gives me no reason not to continue doing so.

DONAL HINELY
Giants... (Scuffletown)

Now here's a man who can write a song, twelve of them, to be specific. To call him literate would be an understatement, his lyrics have such graceful turns to them. His subjects range from caustic observations upon politics, in “Giants”, and the sardonic take on that shudder-inducing phrase, “Shock and Awe”, to a Don McLeanish slant on the current, profit-driven, state of the music industry, and that's just the first three tracks. Hinely's writing ability earns him a place alongside other Texas luminaries such as Earle, Van Zandt, Keen, et cetera, and that's pretty stellar company. Songs about an artist's progeny do not normally find much sufferance here, but “You and Me” is an articulate summation of the big left turn that appears in one's personal highway when gametes go beyond cozy. The instrumentation is sparse, just the right touch that enhances rather than obliterates, and, yet again, we get to hear some more of Will Kimbrough's guitar. An all-around good deal.

MALCOLM HOLCOMBE
I Never Heard You Knockin'... (self-released)

HONKY TONK DISCIPLES
Kickin' Up Dust... (self-released)

Now this is what real country music used to sound like: rockabilly/honkytonk/rockn'roll. Anyone who's ever frequented a rural dancehall sometime back around the late Fifties early Sixties will know what's being talked about here. These four Louisiana guys have got the style down pat, from the faithful artistic songwriting stylings of guitarists Michael Howes and Danny Bond, not to mention their excellent pickin', to the rock solid foundation provided by Randy Colona on drums, and perfection of Buzz Sibley's impeccable fiddle. Try on the tear jerking “Someday” for fit; it doesn't get much nicer than this, unless it's the classic phrasing and flow of “Truckstop Girl”, or the rockin' blues-boogie harmonica of Bond on “Shake It Off”, that I'd swear marks him as the son of Magic Dick, of “Whammer Jammer” fame. The word is that the boys have only been together for a little over a year. From the sounds of this, it must have been some year.

Best tracks: I Had Someone Else, Sombody Loves Me, End of the Line, You Can't Break My Heart, Red Bird. HighTone has a site. Released Sept, 98, reviewed by Bill Frater.

With the amount of music being released, it's the rare CD that gets a second listen, let alone played for pleasure. Such a winner is the latest from the Hunger Mountain Boys. This album is a treat for those who like it stripped down and real. The Hunger Mountain Boys bring guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, fiddle and pure harmony singing to Blue Ribbon Waltz, playing with the ease and familiarity of being on the front porch. It's hard to tell the original songs from the covers on this excellent CD. The Boys know how to play and their duo singing holds up against any duo you care to name, past or present but they'd just be a great cover band if it weren't for the songwriting – pitch perfect and guaranteed to put you in a time warp. Both Teddy Weber and Kip Beacco write with a sound and in a voice that again, it's hard to date, it's just good country. From the solo mandolin of the title track to the tight harmonies of "Cry Away the Years", this is a must-have for fans of the down home.