Good traditional bluegrass, free of hype, is difficult to find, but Carolina Road easily delivers the goods without pretension on the band's self-titled album. The quartet, guitarist Jerry Butler, fiddler Josh Goforth, banjoist Ben Greene, and bassist Todd Meade, play and sing well as a unit. As an added bonus, the band is joined by mandolinist-singer Lorraine Jordan. Jordan, Butler, and Goforth take turns handling lead vocals, giving the band a wide-ranging diversity, and it doesn't hurt that the set list is filled with gems like "Maybe You Will Change Your Mind" and "Can't You Hear the Mountains Calling." The arrangements and production are both without thrills, a down-to-earth approach that works great with Carolina Road and Jordan's down-to-earth style. While the emphasis here is on the songs themselves (few songs exceed the three-minute mark), the band saves room for pithy banjo, fiddle, and mandolin solos. There's also fine dobro work by Kim Gardner on the ballad "Come and See Me," a song that veers closer to country. If all of this isn't enough, there are three songs with "Carolina" in the title, "Carolina Road," "Carolina Hurricane," and "Carolina Rain." Jordan and Carolina Road make a good team, and Carolina Road is a solid recording steeped in bluegrass tradition.
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