Chris Jones has become quite well known among Bluegrass fans for his excellent work as a DJ on the ever-growing SIRIUS/XM Bluegrass Junction satellite radio show. He is also a fine singer and continues to maintain a first rate band that includes Ned Luberecki on banjo, Jon Weisberger on bass and Mark Stoffel on mandolin. This new budget series CD is sort of a combination retrospective and "best of", and also presents four good new songs as well. Highlighting the collection are two wonderful songs written by Tom T. and Dixie Hall: THE MAN BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD and the poignant A HERO IN HARLAN. Other standouts are neat versions of WHISPERING NOW, Gordon Lightfoot's RIBBON OF DARKNESS, and the Delmore Brothers' NASHVILLE BLUES. Several of Jones' own songs are impressive too, like BRIDGE TO PORTSMOUTH, UPHILL CLIMB and FINAL FAREWELL (co-written with Weisberger. A fine collection here.
