On this very nicely produced album Ms. Bradley shows why she has been selected as the IBMA's Female vocalist of the year twice now. While Ms. Bradley has had respectable solo recordings in the past (an earlier Gospel CD was especially nice) this is perhaps the first album of hers where everything comes together: to start with the backing is first rate, with Stuart Duncan on fiddle throughout, Mike Bub on bass, Tim Laughlin on mandolin, and banjo work shared by Gena Britt and producer Alison Brown. Nicely complementing Dale Ann's lovely voice are superb harmony parts by Claire Lynch and Steve Gulley. The songs are a well chosen and nicely balanced collection of old and new (they include 4 songs written by Louisa Branscomb (of Steel Rails fame). I especially liked her arrangement of BLUE EYED BOY (an old mountain ballad learned from Lily May Ledford in Dale Ann's Renfro Valley days) and her fine treatment of the classic gospel songs 50 MILES OF ELBOW ROOM and HEAVEN. A very strong and successful album of contemporary Bluegrass.
