Very enjoyable front porch style old time mountain music...my cup of tea. And, likely yours, too, if you dig this genre.

It’s always seemed odd to me that old-time music, built on a foundation of staid tradition, was and is nonetheless predicated on technology. Without recording technology and phonographs, the music known as old-time would’ve either disappeared or remained ensconced in the hills and hollers of its origin. The photo that fronts the Bashful Mountain Broadcasters’ new album captures a similar dichotomy: A radio tower emitting a powerful signal stuck between two tall mountains. Strive as it might to return to a pre-industrial world, old-time music, unless played on your back porch, continues to negotiate between tradition and technology. The Bashful Mountain Broadcasters do their best to keep contemporary influences at a distance. After an upbeat, steady-flowing instrumental version of “Shooting Creek,” the band cuts loose with powerful, full-throated takes on “Boat’s Up the River” and “Gospel Plow.” On the later song, in particular, the driving rhythm of fiddle and guitar aptly match Alex Hall’s forceful vocal, giving this golden oldie an intense, edgy sheen. “Fall on My Knees” and “Cluck Old Hen” capture a similar rambunctious mood—the band puts everything they’ve got into these songs. The songs are balanced by driving instrumentals like “Texas Traveler,” though the softer ring of a dulcimer adds an element of calm to all this vibrant motion. But there’s another, less prominent side to the Bashful Mountain Broadcasters that balances tradition with a contemporary touch. The ultra mellow “Red Rocking Chair,” also sung by Hall, could’ve been a demo from James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James (1970), and, to these ears, the vocal is much smoother than is typical of old-time vocals (despite the fact that the song itself is quite traditional). The same is true of the instrumental “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine,” with Matt Richardson’s guitar work evoking new acoustic more than old-time string band music. Neither “Red Rocking Chair” nor “Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine,” however, strike me as having a commercial sound, though, and both offer an enjoyable side path that the band may choose to develop more later. The Bashful Mountain Broadcasters recording has minimal reverb and echo. Another big plus are the solid song choices that include old standbys like “Tom Dooley” and “Reuben,” a fun, Americanized version of “Mattie Grove,” and a nice vocal arrangement on “Sitting on Top of the World.” The band—Tracy Hackney, Alex Hall, Alistair Newbern, Matt Richardson, and Earle Simmons—play well together, and sound as though they enjoy themselves to boot. The Bashful Mountain Broadcasters may be an odd name for such an outgoing band, but that’s just one of the many contradictions that make this album so agreeable.

Great song selection and pacing, and fantastic musicianship. If you're a fan of old time and/or bluegrass music, you'll be familiar with most of the titles. But this band puts a refreshing new spin on these old tunes. I heartily recommend this CD. Want an old time music CD that will make you smile? This is it!