This Old Town
Quite a bit of excitement has been building in the bluegrass world around this trio of acknowledged masters, and the collaboration certainly lives up to the buzz. Singer-guitarist Richard Bennett, an alumnus ofJ.D. Crowe's New South, handles most of the vocals and does so with poise and artistry. He's got a rich, contemplative baritone that's somewhat reminiscent of the greatTony Rice. Bennett's fleet, first-rate guitar work keeps pace with super-pickers Auldridge, the celebrated resophonic guitar player who's played with both the legendarySeldom SceneandChesapeake, and Auldridge's Chesapeake mate Jimmy Gaudreau, a world-class mandolin player and singer who's joined everyone from theCountry Gentlemento theTony Rice Unit. Working together, these three turn in seemingly effortless yet thoroughly expressive interpretations of an array of song styles: Civil War ballads ("Southern Son"), tragic gunfighter ballads (Norman Blake's folky "Billy Gray"), gospel, and hot instrumentals among them.--Bob Allen