Old Crow Medicine Show

First of all, you know you're in a pretty cool band when Gillian Welch is your studio drummer -- and such is the case for Old Crow Medicine Show, the crown princes of nu-bluegrass. There may not be another young band that is so able to breathe new life into the dusty back pages of folk and bluegrass, especially while contributing their own reinterpretations and new songs to the canon.

On Big Iron World, their second studio album, they seem cautious of being pigeonholed, and try their hands at some O Brother gospel (the icky and rather boring "God's Got It"), some straightforward acoustic heartache (the surprisingly touching "My Good Gal"), and an adrenaline shot of protest music, most notably Woody Guthrie's fingerprints on "Union Maid." They could have easily settled for being a one-trick pony for at least a few albums, so it's gratifying to listen to them expand their range, even if it's with mixed results. The best song on Big Iron World would probably have been the fourth-best song on their debut; there isn't anything a mile within "Wagon Wheel." That may qualify the new record as a minor sophomore slump, although it maintains plenty of the likeability from its predecessor. David Rawlings certainly seems to be the right fit for the band behind the boards, and Big Iron World is never anything less than lively and crisp.

With that said, Old Crow would have benefited from a couple more wild-pickin' tracks with full-on harmonizing like the boisterous "Fall On My Knees," a B-side from the Down Home Girl single that didn't make the cut. "Cocaine Habit" is too direct a descendent of the debut's "Tell It to Me," right down to the subject matter, although it does contain one of the year's best "Huh?!?" lines: "Now if you don't believe cocaine is good / You ask Karl Rove and Elijah Wood."

Old Crow play their best cards right in the middle of the album, starting with the delicate "My Good Gal." "New Virginia Creeper" nails the fast-playing, easygoing vibe, with a "Chug along, chug along" chorus that Roger Miller would surely approve of. They play "Union Maid" like they just fell off a picket line -- or out of a time machine. Judging by the evidence, that latter option could be a real possibility - Adam McKibbin, The Red Alert

Similar to their first album, Big Iron World sees Old Crow Medicine Show draw upon the spirit of old-timey American string band music, adding a surprisingly refreshing and youthful flair that breathes new life into what's traditional as well as harnessing a sound of their own. The group once again teamed up with David Rawlings who produced and performed on the album, co-writing five of its 12 songs. Rawlings musical other half, Gillian Welch also appears here, trading in her guitar and signature vocals for a pair of drum sticks. The first single from Big Iron Worldis an upright bass and harmonica-heavy, moaning ballad called "Down Home Girl" -- written by Arthur Butler and Jerry Leiber (the latter being responsible for such hits as "Yakety Yak," "Hound Dog," and "Jailhouse Rock"). Of course, Old Crow Medicine Show makes the tune their own, with slide guitar and Willie Watson's nasally mountain-style vocals, accentuated perfectly by the close harmony range of his bandmates. Big Iron World is a flourishing a mixture of backwoods crooners, bluegrass-tinged rockers, and crooning backwoods bluegrass-tinged rockers. There's the Highway 61 Revisited-era Dylanesque "Bobcat Tracks" and the jumping "James River Blues" both with irresistible fiddle breakdowns and perfectly executed vocal harmonies. Just as the songs "CC Rider" and "Poor Man" from Old Crow Medicine Show's debut showcased their unique vocal abilities, here they exhibit an ability to kidnap their listeners from the hustle and bustle of modern life and take them back to the good old days that neither they, nor the band, were born early enough to know. Big Iron World has its fair share of songs that offer bleak and bittersweet atmospheres. The ominous yet weary "Don't Ride That Horse," and the spiritually reverent "God's Got It," could carry themselves even if they were sung a cappella. The album's overall rainy autumn day feel isn't without its upbeat moments and humor, though. "Cocaine Habit," much like the debut album's "Tell It to Me," is a catchy harmonica-driven ode to cocaine abuse. It's followed by the rollicking "Minglewood Blues" which shows the genius achieved from melding bluegrass and blues -- not to mention the genius of Watson's distinctive howl that sets it apart. What it proves is that Big Iron World is no less worthy of praise than their debut,and furthers the band's position as one of the better neo-traditionalist string bands of the early years of the 2000s. ~ Megan Frye, All Music Guide