Sounding like a blend of Patty Loveless and Ricky Skaggs at times, Darin and Brooke Aldridge are one of the best duos in all of American roots music. Not only do they sing better than most but they also play remarkably well too. Faster and Further, the husband and wife duo's fifth with bluegrass powerhouse label Mountain Home Recording Company, showcases a depth to the band that's missing in much of the mainstream world. "This River" is a classic ballad fronted by Darin while "Kingdom Come" is some hotly-played Bluegrass with a spitfire vocal from Brooke Aldridge. The song is about keeping on and having faith that no matter what comes in life that we can press on to make it to meet our maker one day.
Suzy Bogguss fans will likely remember "Someday Soon," a 90s hit song written by Ian Tyson which is given a traditional country treatment here. Brooke is able to showcase her tender and nuanced country vocal chops on the tune. "Eugene And Diane" is a heartbreakingly brilliant story song about unrequited love expertly played and sung by Darin. The couple's faith is showcased on a multitude of tracks here including closer "Heaven Just Got Sweeter For You," a song about loss and getting to see them on the other side.
As great as all those songs are, it is single "Mountains in Mississippi" which best showcases the raw talent of the band. It's a tempo-filled relationship-based ballad with a vocal cameo from Vince Gill. While there's no percussive set piece to the song, it certainly has a percussive pulse through the acoustic instruments and in a perfect world, country radio would play songs like this again. "Cumberland Plateau," too, showcases the duo and their band's stunning musical talent.
Faster and Farther is a strong album featuring a dozen songs. It's a record for anyone who loves acoustic music, stellar male and female harmony and of course strong songwriting.
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