Name: Glamour & Grits
Brand: Sugar Hill Records
SKU: 61320
Availability: OutOfStock

Glamour & Grits

Rating

Performer Notes

Personnel: Sam Bush (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Jon Randall (vocals, guitar); John Cowan (vocals); Jerry Douglas (dobro); B‚la Fleck (banjo, electric banjo); Al Kooper (piano, organ); Mark Winchester (acoustic bass); Larry Atamanuik (drums, percussion).
Audio Mixer: Dave Sinko.
Recording information: The Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: Se¤or McGuire.
Rumor has it that Sam Bush and his longtime compatriot in New Grass Revival, bassist/vocalist John Cowan, occasionally turn up at Nashville's Station Inn under the moniker Twograss Revival. If so, chances are good the collaboration sounds a little like the music on GLAMOUR & GRITS, Bush's 1996 solo outing on Sugar Hill. These two former bandmates form the core of the recording, along with guitarist Jon Randall and drummer Larry Atamanuik.
While Bush and Cowan are both great singers and sound great together, it's the instrumental moments that shine brightest. Of the vocal tunes, Willis Alan Ramsay's "Ballad of Spider John" is the most evocative. "Same Ol' River" and "All Night Radio" come across as Nashville Unplugged and the instrumentals "Whayasay" and "Stingray" merit repeated listening. Bush is a strong composer and improviser and his pals are no slackers (Bela Fleck turns up on "Whayasay" and "Galway" and Jerry Douglas helps give "Spider John" its kick). The solo "Brilliancy" is just that, and "Watson Allman" features Bush's inventive slide mandolin chops.