Review: The Steeldrivers’ “Hammer Down”

steeldriversBy Ken Paulson

–The Steeldrivers are back with a new line-up, but remarkably consistent sound on Hammer Down, to be released on Feb. 5.

Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson are no longer with the band, though some of their songs show up on the new album. Mandolinist Brent Truitt and guitarist Gary Nichols join core members Tammy Rogers, Mike Fleming and Richard Bailey on Hammer Down, the band’s third album.

This is adventurous bluegrass, marrying traditional themes to ambitious and soulful music.

Highlights include the spooky “Shallow Grave” (“I buried my love with a silver spade, laid her down in a shallow grave) and the similarly dark “I’ll Be There,” written by Nichols and the Civil Wars’ John Paul White, available as a free download at http://www.steeldrivers.net.

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