Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 3
In the early '70s, theoriginalCircleteamed the Dirt Band, a group of longhaired young country-rockers, with several country and bluegrass legends. In an era of polarization between young and old, it introduced countless baby boomers to that music, paving the way for the recent triumph of theO Brother, Where Art Thousoundtrack. This time, the Dirt Band reunites withJimmy Martin,Earl Scruggs, andDoc Watson, veterans of the firstCircle, and adds a host of other country, folk, and bluegrass greats. Despite several stellar performances, among themDel McCoury's bracing "Take Me in Your Lifeboat" and Martin's snappy re-creation of his 1950s favorite "Save It, Save It," most of what's here is merely pleasant. Attempts to replicate the feel of the original, complete with copious between-take studio chitchat and an acoustic guitar coda byRandy Scruggs, come off a bit self-conscious and forced. The originalCircleremains a landmark, but in a time when cameo appearances and cross-generation collaborations are so common--Nashville calls them Vocal Events--what was once a unique concept often seems anticlimactic and mundane.--Rich Kienzle