The Nashville Sessions, Leftover Salmon (Hollywood)
Eclectic, electric and boatloads of fun best describes this collection by this Boulder, Colo.-based group.
The roots-oriented quintet left their mountain turf for Nashville where they brought together talent from Taj Mahal to “Big Head” Todd Park Mohr.
The fruit of their toil is wonderfully listenable and remarkably cohesive given the diversity of artists involved.
The backbone of the Salmon is bluegrass, so the album opens appropriately with the mountain music of Midnight Blues.
Guest musicians Del and Ronnie McCoury ably contribute to the lively track.
The catchy, earthy Lovin’ In My Baby’s Eyes is Mahal’s masterful contribution complete with his gorgeously gritty vocals and delightful dobro stylings.
Heavy hitting talent Waylon Jennings scores big with his tune, Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way.
The song, rendered as a duet with Salmon Vince Herman, asks whether country music has strayed from its roots and its vision.
Lines Around Your Eyes, a Cajun-style ripsnorter penned by Lucinda Williams finds her delivering powerhouse vocals on this track about the pitfalls of love and passion.
Also of note is the irresistible Latin-flavored Dance On Your Head featuring Bela Fleck on banjo and the up-tempo country rocker On The Other Side, blessed with the harmonica magic of Blues Traveler’s John Popper.
--Heidi Johnson-Wright
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