Kenny Smith, formerly of Lonesome River Band and a two-time winner of IBMA's Guitarist of The Year award, has assembled this new super group which has already been cited as 2003 "Emerging Artist of The Year" by the IBMA. Kenny's guitar work is amazing, and is a key ingredient in giving the group a really distinctive sound: his combination of smoothness, dexterity and drive is unique. Steve Huber on banjo and Ronald Inscore on mandolin contribute considerably with superb picking. But the biggest revelation here is the wonderful singing of Amanda Smith who exhibits a lovely, mature & expressive voice with a slightly wistful quality that makes you want to hear more and more of her work. Kenny's vocals & harmony work with Amanda are tasteful and first class too. Most of the material is up-tempo, driving Bluegrass, though definitely with a contemporary edge. A couple of Tim Stafford songs stand out (ALL SHE EVER WANTS and NEVER WIN AGAIN), but all the material is excellent and well-chosen. A special, wonderfully appealing record. THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, IT'S ONLY THE WIND, BIG BALL IN BOSTON, SONG FOR EMILY, WHERE LOVE WENT WRONG, WITHOUT A TRACE, etc.
