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Songs:
Sandy Ridge
Joyce's Waltz
Amandolina
Monroe Country
Me 'n' Buck
Lee's Reel
Cotton Eyed Joe
Fancy Gap
Charmaine
Loar's Waltz
2 O'Clock in the Morning
Monroe's Hornpipe
Billy in the Lowground
The Old Brown County Barn

HH-CD-1354
Hay Holler Records
P.O. Box 868
Blacksburgh, VA 24063

Personnel:
Herschel Sizemore - mandolin
Terry Baucom - banjo
Ron Stewart - fiddle
Jim Haley - guitar
Eddie Biggerstaff - bass
Alan Bibey - mandolin, guitar

Herschel Sizemore is a veteran mandolin picker and tune writer in the classic Monroe/Wakefield style, having played with the Bluegrass Cardinals (in the early to mid 1990's) as well as Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys and Del McCoury's Dixie Pals. He's also the guy that wrote the jam standard "Rebecca".

In this all-instrumental CD he's teamed up with some pretty hot youngsters - Terry Baucom on banjo, Ron Stewart on fiddle, Jim Haley on guitar, and Alan Bibey harmonizing on mandolin. Together they perform about eight Sizemore originals and six traditional tunes, and the recording quality and mixing is outstanding. They used four - count 'em, four - Lloyd Loar mandolins on this project, three owned by Sizemore (at least he has his retirement covered!).

"Sandy Ridge" is a hard-driving Sizemore original in the Monroe style, and "Joyce's Waltz" is a gorgeous slow waltz that highlights Herschel's superb tremolo. "Amandolina" is another great tune in the key of B that's very similar to "Rebecca", and "Monroe Country" is medium-tempo tribute tune just like Bill would have played.

Unfortunately, "Me 'n Bauc" sounds just like "Amandolina" and "Rebecca" - great tune, but it starts to make the album a bit repetitive. He redeems himself with "Lee's Reel," a perky tune he wrote in 1978 that I believe has been recorded by several other bluegrassers. Then is a speedy version of "Cotton Eyed Joe," and an up-tempo "Fancy Gap."

"Charmaine" is a pretty tune Herschel learned from Vassar Clements in 1960, and "Loar's Waltz" is a slow tribute to the famed mandolin maker. "2 O'Clock in the Morning" is an old standard that Earl Scruggs and Benny Martin used to play that sounds a lot like "Flop Eared Mule". Following the jam staples "Monroe's Hornpipe" and "Billy in the Low Ground", Herschel ends with a fast version of Bill Monroe's "The Old Brown Country Barn".

Repetitiveness set aside, this is a terrific example of good picking. Mandolin, fiddle, and banjo are bright and crystal clear, and the guitar and bass are rock-solid. I consider it very similar to the Bluegrass 95 CD (i.e., before Scott Vestal and company moved toward more progressive originals). If you like good bluegrass instrumentals, this one is a gem - plenty of licks to steal (oops, I mean borrow). Enjoy!