John Starling was a founding member of
the Seldom Scene, so his
bluegrass credentials are unimpeachable. The singer and guitarist left in the late '70s, only to return in the early '90s and then leave again a year later. His frustration with the band's increasingly slicker sound led him to go solo in order to return to the rootsier sound he preferred, but the big news for fans of the early
Seldom Scene is that he's reunited with fellow ex-Scenesters
Mike Auldridge (Resophonic steel guitar) and bassist
Tom Gray to form
Carolina Star. Not surprisingly, this is the real deal,
bluegrass as it was meant to be played. That's not to imply that
Slidin' Home aims to re-create the ambience of an old
Bill Monroe record; this is a crisp-sounding, modern recording, but the music was cut live in the studio -- no gimmicks, no nothin', just good pickin' and great harmonizing. As if to make the point early,
Starling and the group kick it off with
Jimmie Rodgers'
"Waitin' for a Train," as iconic a piece of American acoustic music as there is. The rest of the repertoire comes from a variety of sources ranging from
Lowell George (the oft-covered but never tiring
"Willin'") to
Gillian Welch to
Gram Parsons. And yes, that is the voice of
Emmylou Harris joining in on the
Parsons tune,
"In My Hour of Darkness." Starling's voice is still clear as a bell and the musicians know precisely what they need to do to keep things comfy and lively here. In
George Massenburg, who's worked with such heavyweights as
Frank Sinatra and
Linda Ronstadt as well as
the Seldom Scene, they couldn't have found a more skilled and sympathetic producer. Those who worship at the altar of acousticity will be right at home with
Slidin' Home. ~ Jeff Tamarkin
