As the album title informs you,
Dailey & Vincent
are not brothers, but they have that country brother harmony thing down pat.
Jamie Dailey
and
Darrin Vincent
both possess high, clear tenor voices, and the timbre of their harmonies blends perfectly, becoming something greater than the sum of its parts. Their first eponymous album stayed at the top of the bluegrass charts for almost a year, and
Brothers from Different Mothers
is even stronger, with their band's blazing instrumental backup providing a strong counterpoint to their soul-stirring vocals.
are traditionalists, but they're not afraid of trying new things.
"On the Other Side"
features a classical string quartet, something new for bluegrass, to give emotional depth to
Jimmy Fortune
's song about the death of a parent. The strings give the song a slight folk-pop feel, but the vocals are pure country/bluegrass, with lead harmonies guaranteed to bring a tear.
The Statler Brothers
seem like an unlikely influence on a bluegrass band, but the duo covers
"Years Ago,"
an arch country tune about a guy sitting in the back of a church while his sweetheart marries another man.
Joe Dean, Jr.
adds to the
Statler
feel with his bass vocals on the harmonies.
Dailey
's jazzy chiming lead guitar enhances the tune's jaunty air.
"There Is You"
is another
tune highlighted by the fiddling of
Adam Haynes
's syncopated call-and-response vocals.
The Statlers
'
Harold Reid
adds his bass vocal to
"Head Hung Down,"
the string buster that kicks off the album.
Haynes
rips it up on fiddle and
Reid
's bass vocal give just the right comedic touch to the song's finale. It's the first time he's ever sung on a non-
project, a measure of the respect the legends have for
. Other standouts include an achingly poignant cover of
Roger Miller
's
"You Oughta Be Here with Me"
and the gospel tunes
"When I've Traveled My Last Mile,"
"When I Reach That Home Up There,"
and the jubilant
"Oh Ye Must Be Born Again."
~ j. poet