DARRELL SCOTT
Family Tree (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

---

The song's the thing for multi-instrumentalist/composer Darrell Scott, which means using any device necessary to present each tune in its best light. If that means sharing the vocal chores for nearly every cut on his own solo album, that's what he does, inviting a variety of vocalists including Suzy Ragsdale, Tim O'Brien, Marcus Hummon, Verlon Thompson and others to interpret his lyrics. Scott himself is fully engaged, though, adding his own rich baritone, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, piano, percussion, pedal steel, banjo and nearly anything else that makes a musical noise to the proceedings.

But the song's are the thing, and Darrell Scott is one of the finest songwriters on the Nashville scene, whose material has been covered by everyone from his sometime partner in music Tim O'Brien to Garth Brooks. He's also a fine picker who has recorded behind acts like Suzy Bogguss, Pam Tillis and Kathy Mattea.

It's probably just as well that there are so many voices on the album anyway. Material like this is likely to be covered and recovered time and again, so even after you've heard this one a bunch of times (and you will want to do just that) you're likely to hear the songs a bunch more times by a bunch more folks. And you're likely to enjoy every one of them every time.

Track List: My Father's House * Rhonda's Last Ride * Lazarus Dies Again * Double-Headed Eagle * Mahala * When There's No One Around/Will The Circle Be Unbroken * She Sews The World With Love * I Never Had A Sister * Family Tree * Any World (That I'm Welcome To) * The Hummingbird * My Father's House

© 1999 - Shaun Dale