David Parmley & Continental Divide's new album, 3 Silver Dollars, will be released Feb. 10, 2009.
Guitarist/vocalist David Parmley and his band Continental Divide are anticipating the release of their latest album, 3 Silver Dollars.
Pinecastle Records will release 3 Silver Dollars on Feb. 10, 2009.
The album features 12 tunes, all with a unique sound and underlying traditional tones.
The title track is written by Tom T. Hall, one of the most successful bluegrass songwriters in bluegrass history. The title track - the first on the album - sticks out from the others.
Parmley’s firm vocals fill each tune and while the vocals play a dominant role in the album’s composition, the instrumentals are not overshadowed.
Banjo player Dale Perry displays solid picking in every song with original solos that demonstrate his affinity for Scruggs-style banjo, yet still showcase his modern sound. His experimental usage of the Scruggs tuners adds an interesting element to several of the songs. His guitar finger picking is also on point.
Continental Divide features mandolinist Ron Spears wrote the two original tunes on the album, adding even more to the diversity of the album’s sound. His tunes, “Carolina Rain” and “God Reached Down”, are both stuffed with complicated bluegrass dynamics. “God Reached Down” is an especially fun tune, as the vocal harmonies take over on the album’s last track.
Overall, this album demonstrates fine bluegrass craftsmanship, but does seem to lack a certain spark. The tracks are all very different and feature new bluegrass sounds, but the energy is absent and inconsistent.
Recommended tracks are:
- Three Silver Dollars
- She’s Lying in the Cold Cold Ground
- God Reached Down
- Ain’t gonna Let You Drag Me Down
- Windsborough Cotton Mill Blues
Preview the album’s tracks by clicking here.
