Cadillac Sky - Blind Man
Walking
Review By: Jim
Moulton, CSO Staff Journalist
Cadillac Sky is the latest entry into the bluegrass genre, Ricky Skaggs liked them so much that
he put them on his Skaggs Family Records label. Cadillac Sky is not your
daddy's bluegrass, it has more of a compressed modern sound. The recording is very slick, in a good way, while they delve into the newgrass likes of The Greencards and The Duhks.
Members include Bryan Simpson - vocals/mandolin; Mike Jump - vocals/guitar;
Matt Menefee - banjo; Ross Holmes - fiddles and Andy Moritz on
bass.
Right off the bat, the song that blows me away is the slow paced "Homesick Angel", with background vocals by Sonya Isaacs. It is the only slow song on the disc. Just a beautiful melody with great lyrics. The acoustic guitar shines, reminding me of Biff Watson. Isaacs makes the song with her sweet vocals.
The dynamics of this group highlight Bryan Simpsons' songwriting (every song, except one) and his mandolin work, the dominant instrument. Holmes on the fiddle is the other dominant lead instrument, guitar is mostly for rhythm purposes. I miss guitar work on any CD I review, but this is still a very good disc to me, it has grown on me since I started listening to it over a week ago. Excellent bass playing and some good banjo by Menefee.
Most of the songs on the disc have a mid-tempo upbeat quality to them. "Blind Man Walking" sounds a lot like Nickel Creek on their last disc. "Sinners Welcome" is a gospel song with an odd type of vocals and dissonant harmonies, lots of reverb.
I really like the intro song "Born Lonesome", nice vibe and a real nice melody, great vocals. This song sort of sets the tone for the CD. The instruments are so sweet sounding with a
tight bass. What's interesting about this recording is that the instruments are tracked first and the vocals put down on top of the recording in another studio.
This band plays uncannily well together, very creative. Some nice guitar parts on "Red Bird", an acoustic country song. Tons of special effects on the vocals. Lots of reverb on the banjo and mandolin.
"Motel Morning" almost has a jazz feeling to it. Sweet mandolin solo, like butter. This mastering job is excellent. Just a lush sound with a different texture than most acoustic, bluegrass albums.
Blind Man Walking is excellent, taking newgrass to a new level with some pop influence.
Imprint- Skaggs Family Records
Release Date - 1/23/07
