Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3.0 out of 5 stars
...and 1/2....Spunky bluegrass, tinted with youthful exuberance, November 24, 2005
If unavailable at this site, you might check at http://www.barbedwirecutters.com I sadly missed seeing the Barbed Wire Cutters live at Wintergrass, but I did have the opportunity to meet 23-year-old guitarist/vocalist Korby Lenker and briefly chat with him about his group that has been together since 1998. I also had to chance to hear them warming up in the halls of the Sheraton in Tacoma. Their self-titled album kicks off with a fairly traditional arrangement of Bill Monroe's Uncle Pen, which indicates that they do have a respect and appreciation for bluegrass music's roots. However, their signature sound seems more firmly based in a fun and folky contemporary sound, with covers like Gordon Lightfoot's "Ten Degrees and Getting Colder" and Gillian Welch's "Red Clay Halo."
The middle segment of this album features three instrumentals which flow like a river from the mountains to the sea. These were a highlight of the album. While they may lack high virtuosity, their instrumentals show imagination and capitalize on the adequate talents of the band's musicians (Bruce Shaw on mandolin, Adam Carp on banjo, Korby Lenker on guitar and pennywhistle, Joshn Brahinsky, and Christopher Glass on fiddle). Lenker's "Prelude to Bald Head" features an interesting interlude of bass and pennywhistle. That is followed by "Bald Head" which intertwines a musical tapestry of flatpicked guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. An interlude of bass and pennywhistle was captivating. Shawn Craver's "Angelfire" ends with the counter melodies of guitar, mandolin and fiddle as the Cutters end their cruise to the ocean.
Other instrumentals (Paddy in the Landfill/Done Gone, John Brown's March, Sackett'sHarbor, and Dusty Miller) contribute to the acoustic mural that the Cutters paint for us while this album runs its creative course.
A bouncy and bluesy version of Jimmy Martin's "Hold Whatcha Got" keeps the toes tapping and features some nice dobro work by guest Michael Grigoni. The Barbed Wire Cutters are the kind of good-time band that one should definitely catch in a live setting. Their acoustic music is honest, and they should have no problem building a large legion of fans.
I also enjoyed this album as a showcase for Korby Lenker's singing and song-writing skills on the song, "Punkin Brown". Some may remember Korby as the guy who was awarded a "Best Song" award at the 2000 Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival in Stevenson, WA. He also does a fine job singing the traditional "Otto Wood." A recent liberal arts graduate of Western Washington University, Korby may have used some of his music theory knowledge to help this band develop musical sensitivities for arranging and dynamic presentation. With continued musical growth, we can expect great things from the Barbed Wire Cutters. The Great Northwest should be proud that they are part of the bluegrass scene here, and I am glad that they have discovered this genre for their musical expression. I'm certain that you'll enjoy this album of spunky bluegrass, tinted with youthful exuberance. And, even better, try to catch them live in a comfortable little venue where you can groove along with the band with their infectious bluegrass blend. (Joe Ross, staff writer for Bluegrass Now, Roseburg, OR.)
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by The Barbed Wire Cutters 
