DEL MCCOURY Record Review

DEL MCCOURY
The Company We Keep
McCoury Music
BY BRENDA HOUGH

Bill Monroe may be the father of bluegrass, and Jimmy Martin was known as the King of Bluegrass, but Del McCoury is the patriarch of bluegrass with family bloodlines steeped in traditional bluegrass. Sons Rob and Ronnie have been band members since their teenage years, and bassist Mike Bub and Fiddler Jason Carter have been with the band the last 13 years. Del's devotion to family has gone beyond the band; he has started his own music company to give a legacy to his grandchildren. The "power behind the throne" women are pictured in the CD liner along with th echildren and staff of the new enterprise. But beyond the business side of the music world, there is the music. Del McCoury's traditional bluegrass sound rings true in every song he songs. His distinctive high lonesome voice, surrounded by tight vocal harmonies and stellar instrumentation, has made his band popular with fans beyond the world of bluegrass. The Company We Keep finds Del's personal stamp throughout. Many of the songs were co-written by Del and Harley Allen and these are all people songs with insights into life and love. As Del states in the liner notes, "When it's all working right I feel like I have invited you all over to the house and we're just having fun." Never Grow Up Boys is a great musician's story with a classic line, "I'm a guitar pickin', bluegrass singin' never grow up boy." But the boys do grow up and reflect on life with Fathers and Sons, and the peace of the mountains in Mountain Song. Finding love without pretense is proclaimed in Nothing Special and If Here Is Where You Are. Even the sad songs of love lost have the redeeming hope of finding "my old used to be" or "I'm back on my feet." The high-energy playing of Ronnie, Rob and Jason continue to swirl around Del's vocals and the band definitley has everything working right. There's a reason this band is one of the top bands in bluegrass, and this album proves it once again. BMP