But the quality most appealing in their music is its intelligence. The Ramblers are from North Carolina, but this new LP was recorded in the D.C. area at Bias Studios by Bill McElroy, one of the most respected engineers in this part of the world. And he deserves his share of credit for the impressive precision and quality of this recording. It takes a gifted pair of ears and some very solid techinical skill for a sound engineer to come up with a recording that is as exact and sensitive as this. All the elements of this band s music are there, just right.
Nothing is mangled or missed.
The original music on the LP is an index to the Ramblers range of talent. Twisted Laurel by Tommy Thompson, one of the most genial men in the South, may make him the Wordsworth of old-time music. The song is not so much a narrative as an atmosphere song without sentimentality. It evokes a melancholy place and mood. The language is tight, the images sharp, the melody beautiful.