Ragin Live
With a generous selection of 20 songs spanning almost 70 minutes, this live album celebrates the energy and range of Rhonda Vincent's brand of progressive bluegrass. It also suggest the parallels and differences between Vincent's career and that of her friendAlison Krauss. Both Midwesterners were preteen musical prodigies, both have used bluegrass as a base to explore a variety of musical styles, both owe a vocal debt toDolly Parton(whose "Jolene" receives an uptempo transformation here), and both lead virtuosic string bands capable of playing just about anything. The difference is that Krauss has continued to extend beyond her bluegrass base--and expand her audience in the process--while multi-instrumentalist Vincent has made a prodigal return to a rootsier brand of bluegrass, after some attempts at crossover country. This concert covers a lot of musical ground, from standards such as "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" and "Muleskinner Blues" and bittersweet ballads like "Missouri Moon" and "You Can't Take It with You When You Go" to the spiritual strains of "So Happy I'll Be" and "Homecoming" and instrumentals that spotlight the dexterity of her band, the Rage. The crowd loves it all.--Don McLeese