It seems clear that Ralph Stanley II ("TWO" as he is known) has his eyes set on a career in country music rather than Bluegrass --perhaps a la the late Keith Whitley. After four solid Bluegrass albums for the Rebel label, "Two" has this nicely produced set of 11 songs that feature him in a country setting. The songs are well-chosen and come from a variety of mostly "heavyweight" writers like Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Tom T. Hall and Elton John. The pickers who accompany him here are actually all Bluegrass artists (Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, Cody Kilby, Tim Crouch, and Ron Stewart), but they produce a comfortable acoustic setting, with more emphasis on dobro and lead guitar and very little banjo. It remains to be seen whether Ralph II can make any impact in today's country music scene, but he has a well produced and enjoyable record here. Songs include GEORGIA, HONKY TONK WAY, TRAIN SONGS, MOMS ARE THE REASON WILD FLOWERS GROW, COLD SHOULDER, etc
