Robinella and the CC Stringband
Most jazz-country hybrids tend to emphasize the instrumental side of the equation, but Robinella and the CCStringband, a mostly acoustic bluegrass-tinged quintet from Knoxville, Tennessee, break the mold by putting Robinella Contreras’s stylish vocals front and center. When she sings about getting her kicks from an old fruit jar on her version ofRed Foley’s classic "Tennessee Saturday Night," her sophisticated phrasing and the swinging mandolin breaks from her husband Cruz Contreras make it sound as if she’s talking about martinis instead of moonshine. But Contreras still has some twang in her voice, and even when she scats, as she does on "Honey Honey Bee," there’s a "front porch" feel to her singing. For some, Robinella and the CCStringband may sometimes be a bit too laid back, but their easygoing charm is a pleasant change from the frenetic tempos that drive many bluegrass-inspired bands.--Michael Simmons