One Morning in May dates from the early days of
the New England Bluegrass Boys, when
Joe Val's razor-sharp tenor voice was matched almost eerily by that of guitarist
Herb Applin; though you can argue that later lead singers (in particular the mighty
Dave Dillon) complemented him better, there was an undeniable power in the classic high, lonesome sound that
Applin and
Val generated together. "One Morning in May" was recorded in 1971, when
Val's voice was at its peak strength -- bluegrass standards like "Sparkling Brown Eyes" and "Dark Hollow" are perfect showcases for the power and range of that spectacular voice. The program also includes a few fine gospel numbers, a decent
Val-penned instrumental, and the requisite tear-jerking, poor-child-dying-in-the-snow song ("The Little Paper Boy"). It's too bad
Val's and
Applin's voices weren't recorded a bit more cleanly, but the band sounds great --
Bob French was one of the best meat-and-potatoes banjo players around, and
Herb Applin's guitar playing is unassuming but solid.
Val himself, staunch traditionalist though he was, had an endearing tendency to get a bit too bouncy and syncopated with the mandolin backbeats, but this edition of
the New England Bluegrass Boys was as solid as any that followed. Here's hoping the rest of
Val's back catalog finds its way onto CD, the sooner the better.