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SELDOM SCENE
Scene It All (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale
When singer/mandolinist John Duffey died in 1996, on the heels of a reorganization that saw 60% of the group lost and replaced in a lineup change, there was a period of doubt about the survival of Seldom Scene, one of the premier groups to come out of the New-Grass movement of the 70s. Banjoist Ben Eldridge was the only founding member still in the group, and to many Duffey had been the heart, if not formally the leader, of the band. Founded as a part-time avocation for a group of musicians with full time careers (Eldridge is still a full time mathematician involved in scientific research, and Fred Traves, the latest dobro player in the roster, is a Fire Department Lieutenant in Maryland), it was somewhat surprising that they'd lasted so long in the first place.
Surprising, that is, except that they did what they did so well, and had so much fun doing it. It was that fun, in the final analysis, that kept them at it despite the travails of '96. This is the first recording since then, and legions of Seldom Scene fans are going to have as good a time listening to this music as the group has playing it. Not only do they do what they do so well, they do some things no one else does at all. Take a look at their material. What other Bluegrass album on your shelf has covers of Muddy Waters, Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Berry and Bonnie Guitar among its cuts? They're all here, and in the hands of Seldom Scene, they're all Bluegrass. Along with Eldridge and Travers, the lineup features Lou Reid, a veteran of the 1986-91 version of the band, on mandolin; Ronnie Simpkins, late of the Virginia Squires and the Tony Rice Unit, on bass; and the great Dudley Connell, the voice of the Johnson Mountain Boys for nearly two decades, on guitar and lead vocals. Since leaving the Johnson Mountain Boys, Connell has been featured with Longview, the Hazel Dickens Band, and in a duo with Don Rigsby. This may be the most stellar Seldom Scene lineup yet.
They've certainly made one of the best Seldom Scene albums ever, and that's about as high as praise gets. This is an enormously welcome and satisfying return.
Track List:
Rollin' And Tumblin' * Dusty * I Will Always Be Waiting For You * Blue And Lonesome * You Better Get Right * Walking The Dog * From This Moment On * When The Walls Come Tumblin' Down * Boots Of Spanish Leather * Trust In The Tide * One Step Up * Nadine
© 2000 - Shaun Dale