4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Super-charged newgrass!, April 13, 2002
This review is from: Candlewyck (Audio CD)
Caution: this hot new highly-arranged newgrass album includes drums and various other unconventional bluegrass instruments on some cuts. The duo of mandolinist Chris Emerson and guitarist Ty Bennett assembled a very impressive all-star lineup of special guests to assist them on "Candlewyck," their self-titled debut album (Votive Records-2112) which includes twelve original songs. Any album with the likes of Don Rigsby, John Cowan, Terry Baucom, David Grier, Shawn Lane, Russell Moore, Kenny Smith, Larry Rice, Michael Faith, and Sammy Shelor is bound to be a winner, which "Candlewyck" most definitely is. From North Carolina, songwriter Ty Bennett first began writing and playing the age of thirteen on his mother's piano. With a degree in classical composition and music theory, he has always maintained a deep passion for performing, writing and recording all forms of music, from bluegrass to jazz, rock to gospel. Aside from his writing and playing in Candlewyck, Ty also works as an arranger, producer and instructor in Charlotte, North Carolina. Chris Emerson also provides an exciting mandolin style to the Candlewyck mix. With innovation and technical virtuosity, Chris turns heads with his personalized blend of new music. Equally adept on acoustic and electric mandolin, he has developed a style that blends traditional conventions with brand new ideas. Chris taught himself to play by studying and listening to David Grisman, Bill Monroe, and Matt Mundy. His affinity for many diverse genres of music such as jazz, classical, Celtic and rock is also very evident in his playing. A real showcase for Ty's distinctive songwriting, the album kicks off with the hard-driving song, "Whatcha Gonna Say," that kicks...ala Newgrass Revival. John Cowan's lead vocal is tightly supplemented with harmonies from Russell Moore and Time Cashion. Then, "Firemen" has Don Rigsby singing about how a fireman's got to do it by the Book. Brad Hudson sings "Little Jasper," an uptempo ballad about a little dog left behind when Atlanta burned.. "Find Me" features Tim Cashion on vocals and includes drums in the mix. It is also a showcase for David Johnson who plays fiddle, banjo and dobro on the song. The next Ty Bennett song to receive an all-star interpretation is Shawn Lane's singing of "Things I've Got to Pay," with Russell Moore and Chris Jones singing harmony. Candlewyck has a strong affinity for instrumentals, with over 50 percent of this debut album featuring vocal-less offerings. "Rusty," "Crooked Creek," and "Wilkes County Breakdown" are hot fiddle tunes which I wished would've been mixed with more of the mandolin breaks and less chunking on the left side (which was obviously mixed strongly to provide the drum-like backbeat to their music). The latter tune did, in fact, include drums which, in my opinion, could've been toned down in favor of more of Barbara Lamb's fiddle. "Give Me A Minute" is a short jazzy interlude with only mandolin and guitar. "Mercy Percy" is a super-charged, high-voltage instrumental with a unique sound that includes electric mandolin, bass, drums, steel guitar. The jazzy "Betsy's Lullaby" retires the banjo in favor of piano, guitars, mandolin and percussion. Saxaphone and piano are featured to close the album on a jazzy note "Just So You'll Know." Well actually, a stormy guitar/mandolin duo surprise the casual listener with a short bonus closer.
Chris and Ty are two young guys who are pioneers -- explorers tapping creative energies and youthful exuberance. They're obviously respectful of the bluegrass tradition, but their music pushes the envelope into Newgrass and Americana territory. Candlewyck creates a boiling cauldron of fresh sounds with elements of bluegrass, rock, jazz, folk, country and classical music. Their destination is a shining light on the horizon. They are promising new talents that we'll be hearing more about. There's a strong following of young folks for their kind of music. This album probably isn't for your typical traditional bluegrass fan. I, however, particularly enjoyed the varied hot ensembles that were put together for each highly-arranged song on this project. I liked the diversity found in their music, but perhaps the overall project may have suffered a tad bit from a slight lack of musical continuity. Nevertheless, Candleywyck is made up of two very talented young guys with a gift, and I look forward to seeing how they channel all that energy and skill into their next project into uncharted waters....
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