Playing Time – 35:22 -- Chrystal Sawyer is a regular Saturday night performer at Fiddler’s Cove in Liberty, North Carolina, and her singing has been compared to that of a young Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Suzanne Cox or Alison Krauss. Wow, those are big shoes to fill! And she even resembles a young Loretta Lynn. She confidently and humbly steps right up to the plate with what could, with a little luck, become a defining voice of our era. Her eponymously-titled bluegrass album was recorded in Greenbriar,Tennessee in June, 2003 by Scott Vestal. Besides Vestal on banjo, the master musicians assembled to help out include many from the supergroup Mountain heart. How can you go wrong with these guys in the driver’s seat and support of Adam Steffey (mandolin), Clay Jones (guitar), Steve Gulley (harmony vocal), Jim Van Cleve (fiddle), Ron Stewart (fiddle), Randy Kohrs (dobro), and Zak McLamb (bass)? Despite the all-star guests, there’s no grandstanding…just good solid bluegrass. Chrystal sings both lead and harmony on three cuts arranged with trios on choruses (Pathway of Teardrops, Another Lonesome Morning, Build My Mansion Next Door to Jesus). Clay Jones even adds bass vocals to the “Get Up John” quartet.
Raised in Julian, N.C., Chrystal took to music from a very early age. Cutting her teeth on the seminal artists of traditional bluegrass, she sang at fiddler’s contests, in her high school choir, was a member of the U.S. chorus during her junior year. In the 1990s, Chrystal first became acquainted with and “struck” by the music of The Cox Family.
“Another Lonesome Morning” and “Pardon Me” were both previously recorded by them. For her debut album, she chose songs that represent many of her influences, from Bill Monroe to A.P. Carter, Jimmie Rodgers to Dolly Parton, Webb Pierce to Jim & Jesse. Written by Alan Rose, “Smoke Along the Track” is getting some good national airplay from its inclusion of Prime Cuts of Bluegrass, Volume 73.
Chrystal varies her tempos nicely, and the enchanting repertoire shows an affinity for both secular and sacred material that covers many musical moods. While many of her songs are familiar and previously recorded by Dolly or Emmylou, this mountain songbird and her bluegrass elite manage to put their own unique stamp on them. Take “Muleskinner Blues,” for example. A crisp sound jumping right from the speakers and the song’s expert execution offer plenty to enjoy. I never tire of the timeless “I'll Be All Smiles Tonight,” especially when Ronnie Stewart is bowing and Randy Kohrs is sliding.
We thank this up-and-comer for her evocative renditions of favorite songs. Remember the name “Chrystal Sawyer.” We’re guaranteed to be hearing more about her. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
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