Looking for some 'grass



What's the best Bluegrass group, album, CD, or cut, you've heard in some time?

Please do mention if it is by content, or quality of the recording.... SACD, DVDA, etc.

It is hard to get past efforts from Skaggs & Krauss naturally, but I do favor the "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" volumes from the Dirt Band & friends.

But I will try a few here anyhow.

"Mountain Soul" from Patty Loveless... and "Little Sparrow" by Dolly Parton are super overall.

Charlie Sizemore's efforts as well should be considered at the very least.

Melonie Cannons last two CDs are noteable works also.

So there...

Who, what, or Which, do you like most as of late, or just overall?
blindjim
A little hard to find, but worth it: New Grange, a short-lived all-star band comprised of Darel Anger, Tim Rice, Alison Brown, Phil Aaberg, and Mike Marshall. Each is a virtuoso on their instrument.
The Be Good Tanya's - I like "Blue Horse" and "Chinatown" but their new one's pretty good too, though doesn't seem as well recorded.

The Wailin' Jennys are new to me but definitely worth checking out.

Anything at all by Gillian Welch - You cannot go wrong there.

Abigail Washburn, "Song of the Traveling Daughter"

"Oh Brother Where Art Thouw" and the companion version..."O Sister" both have a fun cross section of stuff you may like. The former is an excellent soundtrack.

Speaking of great soundtracks; the soundtrack to the film "Songcatcher" is also excellent and right along the same lines as this thread, but more right to the roots of it.
Jax2, I'm a big fan of all of your suggestions, but there's very little bluegrass in those selections. The "Oh Brother" soundtrack and the popularity of Alison Krauss has watered down the definition of what passes for "bluegrass" these days. I've been listeing to Alison Krauss since she was a teenager and I'm a huge fan. Her early albums are certainly bluegass, but in the later years not so much. The best traditional bluegrass band today is the Del McCoury band. Instrumentally they are fantastic, though they wear on me after a while. My favorite bluegrass band of all time is probably Hot Rize. Great instrumentalists and vocalists and great songs.

Jsaah, its Tim O'brien in New Grange, as opposed to Tim Rice. Anything by Tim O'brien is good (he was in Hot Rize), though his stuff is not all bluegrass either. You may have been thinking of Tony Rice, who is one of the all time great bluegrass guitarists and vocalists, but sadly lost his voice many years ago due to a medical condition. But Rice has some great bluegrass albums.

Other good bluegrass recommendations are Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Blue Highway, Mountain Heart, Front Range, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band.
Claire Lynch, Rhonda Vincent, Dry branch Fire Squad, Grascals, Cherryholmes, Flatt and Scruggs, Olabelle Reed, compilations from Rural Rhythms, Smithsonian amd Rounder (though these can be old timey music), any Wayne Henderson cd for some bluegrass guitar music, the Pickin' On series, especially Pickin' On Led Zepelin, any of the Bluegrass Albums by the Bluegrass Album Band. Heck, just go to the local internet book and music seller and type in "bluegrass music". The ones I saw on the A site that came up were compilations I have and were all good, though like I said, they may be old timey. Have fun!
Jax2, I'm a big fan of all of your suggestions, but there's very little bluegrass in those selections.

I guess I have to check out some of your selections then, as that's as close as I can come. Yeah, I suppose those are fringe, and bluegrass-influenced selections. They are mostly fusing bluegrass, folk and country. I'd say that Abigail Washburn and Gillian Welch have the strongest leanings towards the traditional. I guess I prefer them over more pure bluegrass, though I have not listened to much of what folks are recommending here.

Here's a few more, as far as my own tastes and exposure reach...

Iris Dement, "Infamous Angel"
Old Crow Medicine Show (self-titled CD)