Customer Reviews

Listen to the Music

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More than a decade ago the Fox siblings, Brother Joel and Sisters Kim and Barb, were a talented family Bluegrass band from not-exactly-obvious location of upstate New York. With "3 Fox Drive" they announce their readiness to take their place among the very elite groups in Bluegrass and Americana. Like genre-blurring Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek, 3 Fox Drive begins rooted in Bluegrass and expands those boundaries to something more...

This recording demonstrates awesome talent. "Awesome" is not a word I throw around lightly under any circumstances, and I use it even more rarely when I speak of music. For someone privileged enough to have grown up seeing Bill Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs live many times, and having seen Nickel Creek live only last night, my Bluegrass perspective covers the entire history and breadth of the music. I played the Mrs. "Listen to the Music" last night, and she was equally awestruck. This band has a sound that can just knock you down. They could easily appear on a bill with Alison Krauss, but they could just as easily appear with Rascal Flatts, and hard-core "Country" fans would come away from the experience buzzing about the talented Foxes.

Okay, enough generalities. Joel Fox plays banjo, and his playing has long been a centerpiece of the Foxes instrumentally. Randy Kohrs joins the effort on dobro, and he blends his pyrotechnic abilities seamlessly into the total band sound. (I highly recommend Randy's solo CDs as well as his collaborative work with everyone from Scott Vestal's All-Star "Bluegrass" instrumental collections to Dolly Parton. But I digress.) Megan Lynch adds some searing fiddle work, sounding like a cross between Stuart Duncan and Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins. With mandolin work reminiscent of Adam Steffy's recordings with Mountain Heart and Alison Krauss, Jim Reed completes the instrumental virtuosity of 3 Fox Drive.

That's not even the best part. Where the Foxes really shine is their vocals. It is clichéd to say that they have that "family harmony" sound. Think of The Whites. Think of The Cox Family. Now turn it up 3 notches. Kim Fox plays guitar and writes more than half of the material for the band. Her songs aren't just good. They aren't just award-winning. Kim Fox writes ballads that paint vivid portraits of men and women, loves lost, dreams chased, the special bond between sisters. Her songs cut you not just to the bone - they get down inside your marrow and resonate in that way that makes you not just happy, but downright proud to be alive. Kim does a fair amount of the lead vocals, and she sings with this throaty voice that reminded the Mrs. of Wynona - "just better", the Mrs. Said. Sister Barb does the bulk of the rest of the lead vocals and provides a soaring harmony on the Fox choruses. Joel sings a razor-sharp baritone in the Fox trio and the cumulative effect is "best in the business."

Their songs don't just reach out and grab you. They reach for you and pull you in close for a hug. Opening with the Doobie Brothers' hit "Listen to the Music", this album doesn't slow down. There is not a bad cut on the disc. Not even a mediocre one. If someone asks you "what's the `next big thing' in Bluegrass", or maybe even mainstream Country (as the better Bluegrass acts cross over in popularity, and this one seems destined to) - the best answer I know of right now is "3 Fox Drive". Get it.

This is modern bluegrass, not progressive, but modern in terms of a generally smooth sound. Kim, Barb & Joel, the three Foxes who form the core of the group, harmonize in that breathtaking way that seems possible only with siblings. I've seen this group live four times, and their current line-up is especially solid. Kim Fox is an amazing and gifted song writer, and you cannot go wrong with this CD.

Wow, the vocals are spectacular and the musicianship in this band is hard to beat. This is a must have CD for contemporary Bluegrass lovers.

It has been a long time since I have enjoyed an entire CD. Every song on this CD is great. The harmonies and upbeat songs really get you going. A great road trip addition.

I have been a musician my entire life. This album is an awsome showcase of some of the best musical talent I've been exposed to in years! "Family" voices are more than individual voices when they blend and this blend is exceptional. The original songs are fresh and addictive, can't stop singing them! Kim Fox has written music that wrings tears from the most hardened heart and moves the heaviest foot to tap along or dance! Fiddle, banjo, dobro, guitar...how do you focus on just one when they are all incredible.

My favorite CD and I have a big collection!

Playing Time - 46:30 -- Bluegrass aficionados have no doubt heard of The Fox Family and Kim Fox Band. Now, you'd better sit down and get ready for impressive showcase of 3 Fox Drive. Originally from the Adirondack Mountains of New York, the brother and two sisters (Joel, Kim and Barb) won the 1989 Winterhawk festival bluegrass band contest. Kim Fox, you may recall, is a prolific songwriter who won the prestigious songwriting contest at Merlefest in 1994. In the year 2000, The Fox Family became the Kim Fox Band (Kim, Joel, bassist Andrea Roberts, and fiddler Jesse Cobb). The clever Foxes have now embarked on a new path of musical ingenuity that emphasizes cunning acoustic keenness. Seven songs bear the mark of Kim Fox's crafty songwriting, with each having their own distinctive flavorings but still being mainly easy listening country and folk fare. Their engaging approach doesn't look for hooks, but rather songs like "Red Rose Bouquet," "Short Walk to the Moon," "Eye for an Eye," and "This Little House of Mine" have stirring messages that beg for close listening and introspective reflection. From a young girl's perspective, the latter is a slow, sad tale of selling the house and moving on. It's a common theme in bluegrass and country music, but "leaving the kid behind in this little house of mine" is a great new way to convey the sentiment. An exceptional love song, "Short Walk to the Moon" has a lot of heartfelt soul, and this song has potential to be covered and taken to the charts by top-name country musicians. With this amount of original material, I wish that lyrics would have been included in the CD jacket. 3 Fox Drive also covers material from Larry Cordle ("It Always Rains When I'm Lonesome"), Doobie Brothers ("Listen to the Music") and one done by Keith Whitley (Roger Ferris' "Some Old Side Road"). From an early 90s recording by Shelby Lynne, "Slow Me Down" establishes a good groove with a recurring riff, the instruments trading licks, and impressive vocalizing.

Besides Kim, Barb and Joel, the other musicians include Mike Anglin (bass), Megan Lynch (fiddle), Jim Reed (mandolin, lead guitar), Eric Darken (percussion), and Randy Kohrs (dobro). There are a few points where I wish that Kohrs' dobro was mixed with a little more presence. With their polished, cohesive sound, this band will go far. You'd better take them up on their invitation at the album's opener to "Listen to the Music." (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

3 Fox Drive is a super-sweet blugrass band. The lead singer-lady has vocal range and melody that is superior to most other blugrass broads (save Allison Krause). Her sweet voice is great for my headache when I have a hangover. Buy this CD and enjoy it. I command you.

I knew when I "discovered" them and signed them to my label, Sierra Records, back in 1994 they were great! I just never could make it happen but now with their new label and a new name "3 Fox Drive" I know Kim, Joel and Barb along with the new members of the band will be a big success. This album is only the start of something big! Best music out there in the past 10 years.

At least I will be able to say, "I knew them when"!

John Delgatto, Founder / Owner
Sierra Records