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Northern California Bluegrass Society provides this CD review. You can find our most current reviews on our Message Board, where you can comment or query the author directly. Our monthly magazine, Bluegrass By the Bay also publishes them. Return to CD Reviews. |
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| Alan Bibey | In the Blue Room |
| Review by Keith Rollag | |
| Songs: In the Blue Room Save Your Heart Evening Prayer Blues I'll Be Alright Tomorrow Wild Fiddler's Rag Lee's Reel County Fool Stumptowne Close By Amanda Lena Busy Fingers What I Am Sure-Fire |
SUG-CD 3910 Personnel: |
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One more hot instrumentalist has gathered an A-list of other hot pickers and singers, scheduled some Doobie Shea studio time, and came out with a well-crafted, well-produced solo album. If you've like recent projects by Aubrey Haynie or Bryan Sutton you'll like this one too. Alan Bibey is the blazing-fast mandolin picker from North Carolina currently playing with BlueRidge. He was a founding member of IIIrd Tyme Out and a frequent bluegrass stand-in, appearing on several recent albums by groups like Lou Reid & Carolina, Mark Newton, and Ronnie Bowman. While his typical playing style is similar to other contemporary pickers like Wayne Benson and Adam Steffey, he can also do a mean Monroe style as well (as he does on Bill's tune "Evening Prayer Blues"). The album is about 60% instrumentals, 40% vocals. The instrumentals include two Herschel Sizemore mandolin tunes - "Lee's Reel" and "Amanda Lena" - the Tommy Jackson tune "Busy Fingers", and the traditional, swingy, contest fiddle piece "Wild Fiddler's Rag". Alan also included the sprightly Bobby Osborne tune Sure-Fire to conclude the CD. Backed by some of his BlueRidge bandmates and power pickers like Tony Rice, Jim Mills, and Jerry Douglas, these particular instrumentals are the perfect vehicle to show off Alan's technical prowess and yet keep traditional bluegrass fans interested in the music. Ronnie Bowman produced the CD and sings lead on two songs - the straight-ahead ballad "Save Your Heart" and the teary-eyed "What I Am" about a father's sacrifice for his family. Del McCoury lends his crystal-clear tenor to the song "County Fool", and the song is done in classic Del McCoury band style. It's a nice CD, and offers further proof that there's a growing cadre of talented mandolin pickers ready and willing to keep the former "parlor instrument" at the forefront of the modern bluegrass scene. And for you mandolin fanatics, the entire album was recorded with Alan's 1923 Lloyd Loar F-5, built on the same day as the one owned by the Father of Bluegrass. It sure sounds sweet |
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