This is a well produced tribute to one of the first -and perhaps the most influential of all contemporary Bluegrass bands. It's now over 40 years ago that this Washington, D.C. area band started, with 5 musicians who just wanted to pick and sing privately, never intending to become a major force in the music. Unfortunately, two key members of the original band have passed on (John Duffey and Mike Auldridge). John Starling --whose smooth vocals added so much to the band's distinctive sound --retired from the group years ago, but he does make a guest appearance on a couple of cuts here. So the music is the same, yet not the same --with replacements like Lou Reid, Dudley Connell and Fred Travers, it is still a supergroup with much to offer. The current band offers its versions of older Scene material, everything beautifully done --though some may wonder why the group would duplicate songs like WAIT A MINUTE, CALIFORNIA COTTONFIELDS, PARADISE, WALK THROUGH THIS WORLD WITH ME, and other classics from the band's years with REBEL and SUGAR HILL that are still very much available in their original form. But this fine package (which includes 16 songs and an excellent 32-page booklet of notes by Pete Reiniger), shows that the group is alive and well and still can touch us with wonderful songs such as LORENA and LIKE I USED TO DO. A nice package, well recommended.
