Circles Around Me

Sam Bush | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B002NULL44
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,908 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Sam Bush's eighth solo album and sixth with Sugar Hill, Circles Around Me, is an aurally inspiring mix of bluegrass favorites and complementary new songs. "I don't know why, but it felt right at this moment in my life to go back and revisit some things that I've loved all my life, which is bluegrass and, unapologetically, newgrass," says Bush. "After all these years of experimenting--and there's experimentation on this record too--I've come full circle." Produced by three-time GRAMMY® winner Bush, the 14-song set includes appearances by Del McCoury, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas and, thanks to the discovery of an old demo, New Grass Revival co-founder Courtney Johnson (posthumously). The album also employs the phenomenal talent of Bush's band: Scott Vestal, Stephen Mougin, Byron House and Chris Brown.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sammy!, August 24, 2010

By 

OH Packerfan "Go Pack Go" (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circles Around Me (Audio CD)

Another great disk by Sam. I hesitated to purchase this one, simply because I own all of Sam's disks, & frankly was begining to feel that the creative juices may have begun to run dry just a bit. Don't get me wrong, Laps in Seven & King of My World are fine, fine disks, better than 99.9% of stuff out there, but they seem to be strained a bit at times. It seemed to me - right or wrong - that Sam was straining for a hit.
This one, by contrast, feels completely relaxed. Sam is entirely at home with this material. It is as if he is putting on a comfortable old pair of well worn boots. His pacing is just right. Oh, he can still let it rip, as he does, for instance, in Blue Mountain. But more often than not, he lets the songs set their own pace. On Souveneir Bottles, for instance, first released decades ago on Barren County, he keeps the synchopated style while avoiding the choppiness of the original. Old North Woods has the relaxed feel of the Grisman/Garcia albums, or maybe the Grisman/Rice Pizza Tapes. Gold Heart Locket features Jerry Douglas. My personal favorite is Junior Heywood, which includes not only Flux but the incomparable Edgar Meyer, whose bow work is peerless, as always. I particularly like the way Sam signs off this album, with Apple Blossom, featuring a duet with the late great Courtney Johnson, the aforementioned Souveneir Bottles, & Whisper Your Name, an Ebo Walker tune that harkens all the way back to NGR's very first disk. Of course, his extraordinary band shines throughout. One quibble: the drums are mixed a little high, in my opinion, including on the opening track. But a quibble it is. Any fan of Sam, NGR, or progressive bluegrass - yes, newgrass - ought to pick this up. Don't be a dope like me & forestall any further your enjoyment of this latest musical chapter from Sammy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Primo Sammy, October 21, 2009

By 

Cain Knobel "nerd" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Circles Around Me (Audio CD)

The short review of "Circles Around Me" is this release is newgrass through and through and sounds as much like classic Sam Bush. Never mind the jazz/rock numbers of the past couple CDs, they were good, this music is where Sam's heart lives even it likes to stray from time to time. This release is to be added to "Howlin' At the Moon" and "Glamour and Grits" to the must haves in the Sam Bush library. Every track, from the instrumentals that are bit more progressive, to the Monroe covers are worthy of many listens. It's good the King has found his way back home.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great album from Sam Bush, October 31, 2009

By 

Walter Windish - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Circles Around Me (Audio CD)

Although I don't always agree with all his lyrics, I always enjoy his material. I've got all the Newgrass stuff on vinyl and am a fan of the mandolin.

Speaking of vinyl, the tune "Apple Blossom" was recorded in 1976 and features a duet between Sam on Fiddle and the late Newgrass Revival banjo man Courtney Johnson. It's a short, but sweet instrumental, followed directly, on track 13 with "Souvenir Bottles," which first appeared on their 1979 album "Barren County." This 8+ minute version has a great guitar, banjo, mandolin solo. Sweet.

The title track is a nice mellow piece. "Diamond Joe" starts off like "8 More Miles to Louisville," but is a nice up tempo vocal. "You left me alone" has got some nice banjo/mando work in the context of an upbeat broken-heart song. "The Old North Woods" is a 4 minute sweat instrumental with nice banjo and mandolin lines and a bowed cello adding a bit of extra mellow.

"The Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle" is a mournful ballad telling the story of the murder of banjo man David "Stringbean" Akeman and his wife in 1973, as they were shot upon his return home from a gig at the Opry.

Having a soft spot for the mandolin, "Blue Mountain" is a great fast-paced tune with lots of great mando work. Scott Vestal and Stephen Mougin are no slouches on banjo and guitar either!

The rest of the tunes are worthwhile as well. Not a clunker on the disc.

Oh yeah, after the 2:24 last song "Whisper my Name," keep listening for another 30 seconds and you'll be treated to four minutes of Hot Tomales! Enjoy.