The Lonesome River Band - Americana Master Series: Best Of The Sugar Hill Years (2007)

Beginning in the early '90s, Sammy Shelor and Ronnie Bowman's version of the Lonesome River Band would become one of the most influential bluegrass groups of the decade. Best of the Sugar Hill Years captures the group's stint at the label between 1994 and 2000 with 16 selections. All of these selections feature vocalist/bassist Bowman and banjoist Shelor, who are joined by a number of regulars including Dan Tyminski, Don Rigsby, and Kenny Smith, and a number of guests, including Jerry Douglasand Stuart Duncan. As with most good bluegrass groups, the Lonesome River Band play well as a unit, and this stands out on songs like "Sweet Sally Brown" and "Am I a Fool." As alluded to in the liner notes, the band also had the ability to draw from and update tradition, an aptitude underlined by the group's 1992 IMA winner, Carrying the Tradition. Finally, the Lonesome River Band revealed a knack for delivering high-octane performances, evidenced on this collection by cuts such as "Are You Ashamed to Call Me Darlin'." For fans, Best of the Sugar Hill Years will be enjoyable if familiar; for the non-initiate, the album offers a good place to familiarize oneself with an exciting, well-respected bluegrass band.