THE GIBSON BROTHERS
Bona Fide (Sugar Hill)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Family harmony and bluegrass. That's about as natural a combination as you'll find, and Eric and Leigh Gibson do it about as well as it can be done. On Bona Fide, they do it to the tune of some terrific new songs from their own pens, along with one of Tom T. Hall's patented story songs, a couple traditional numbers and a gospel closer that adds to the family atmosphere when they bring little sister Erin Gibson in to sing lead over her brother's harmonies.

The focus here is on great voices and fine tunes, not hot lick rave-ups, but the picking is fine too, with Eric's banjo and Leigh's guitar augmented by Mike Barber on upright bass and Marc MacGlashan on mandolin. Just to prove the point, they turn in a hot instrumental number, "Shucking The Corn," and their strings sing as sweet as their voices.

Overall, the disc has a kind of put your feet up and enjoy yourself feel, as though you'd been invited over to the Gibson place for a night of old time tunes and good time fun. That's a real nice way to spend some time, and this is a real nice album to spend some time with.

Track List:

The Open Road * Arleigh * Ragged Man * Railroad Line * That Bluegrass Music * Vern's Guitar * Where Nobody Knows My Name * Shucking The Corn * Don't Forget The Coffee, Billy Joe * Whisper In My Ear * Norma * Beautiful Brown Eyes * The Lighthouse

© 2003 - Shaun Dale