Live! At Last
This 1995 recording captures the Squad's mixture of hillbilly humor (allegedly the basis for much of Jeff Foxworthy's work) and their formidable folk and bluegrass. Lead jokester Ron Thomason handles the comedy with an exaggerated drawl and a somewhat trite hillbillies-are-dumb theme. When it comes to actual music, however, the Squad can truly light it up. Thomason's mandolin and Bill Evans' banjo impressively race through standards including "John Henry," "Late Last Night," and "Blue Grass Breakdown." Gentle ballads such as "Aragon Mill" and the lovely "Hard Times" are handled with sensitivity while "Red Rocking Chair" showcases Suzanne Thomas' clawhammer banjo. While the comedy may become stale (especially after repeated listenings), it's nothing the CD program function can't handle.--Marc Greilsamer