Music Review: Earls of Leicester

Album: Earls of Leicester
Artiste: The Earls of Leicester
Label: Rounder Records
Rating: 3/5
Price: Rs 395

Bluegrass: Bluegrass: The Earls of Leicester, in case you're wondering, have nothing to do with England or any sort of nobility related to that country, regardless of what their name would suggest. Instead, these lads hail an ocean away from Nashville, Tennessee and play bluegrass that is both energetic and downright endearing, if you haven't heard bluegrass before. The music is upbeat and will bring a smile to your face. And for the sake of trivia, the band's name is a phrase coined by combining the first names of two of the group's favourite musicians, Lester Flatts and

Earl Scruggs

. The group consists of

Jerry Douglas

(Dobro), Shawn Camp (lead vocals and guitar),

Charlie Cushman

(banjo and guitars), Tim O'Brien (vocals and mandolin), Johnny Warren (vocals and fiddle) and Barry Bales (vocals and bass). The selections of songs in here are a good mix of bluegrass classics as well as some of their own original tracks. What would have made things even more interesting, however, would have been the inclusion of a female vocalist on one or two of the tracks for purposes of variation. They have for instance, collaborated with Alison Krauss in the past to good effect. But that really is a minor quibble. All in all, wonderful, enjoyable vocals in addition to terrific musicians belting out energetic tunes.