Del and the Boys

Del and the Boys finds the man himself still firmly in charge, and his inhuman tenor all sharp yips and long, high howls, as yet unaffected by advancing age. Its lineup constant since 1993, Del's band cuts as smart as the crease in his best suit pants, and here the quintet's sound is crisply captured by his son Ronnie, who for the first time handles production duties by himself. Ronnie also adds mandolin and vocal color; his brother Rob the nimble banjo rolls. Mike Bub's bass patrols the beat, Jason Carter's fiddle shivers and cries, and both men contribute baritone harmonies. The album's dozen songs include a few McCoury originals, a couple of blues and a gospel tune, plus one rock cover: Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" here gets the treatment that was previously applied to the likes of Tom Petty and John Sebastian. All of the foregoing is entirely unsurprising to anyone familiar with the McCoury Band, who prove yet again their utter mastery of traditional bluegrass despite their unwillingness to take much creative risk. --Anders Smith-Lindall