"Whispering Waters" stars off the album and it instantly showcases Audie's stellar vocal while also showcasing Audie's great, young "Redline" band of Mandolin ace Jason Johnson, fiddler Patrick McAvinue, bassist Matt Wallace and banjoist Evan Ward. Ward and Johnson also provide vocals for Blaylock throughout the album. "Waters," a song which is well-known in Bluegrass circles, hasn't sounded quite this vivid before. The instrumentals sparkle again on "Two Lonely Hearts," a song which Blaylock shows off his great high-lonesome vocal that recalls Ricky Skaggs and, at times, Vince Gill. Fans of traditional country will really enjoy the band's take on Lester Flatt's classic "My Darling's Last Goodbye." As with many a Bluegrass tune, the song lyrics are heartbreaking while the instrumentals sort of have a jovial mood, particularly the banjo and mandolin parts.
"You'll Never Be The Same" is another piece of classic Bluegrass that simply sparkles in the hand of this talented band. "Send Me Your Address In Heaven" has a sad yet sweet lyric that is backed with the spirited and jovial melody of a church revival. The Jimmy Martin/Paul Williams co-written "Goodbye" is a well-known southern Gospel song yet in the hands of this five-piece band the song the song again sounds renewed and fresh. An interesting track on the record is the a capella gospel reverie "Who'll Sing For Me?," A song that simply asks who will be there for us on the day we are dead. This is an interesting song in that in the Bluegrass world the high-lonesome harmonies are typically sung with their instruments. The record ends with the classic "Mountain Laurel In Bloom." With their tight harmonies, stellar musicianship, Audie Blaylock and Redline sound like a band that will be around for years to come.
While the four guys that make up Redline may all be in their late teens or early twenties, their talent is never in doubt and it's as if Audie Blaylock is paying forward in his belief of these young men, just as Jimmie Martin did for him in the early 1980s. Fans of bluegrass should be enthralled with what they hear on "Audie Blaylock and Redline" and I have no doubts that this talented band has many awards and accolades in their future.
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