Robinella & the CCstringband
Robinella & the CCstringband

The first thing you notice about Robinella & the CCstringband’s eponymous major label debut is Robin Ella Contreras’ honey-sweet country drawl, but after a few songs, the group’s versatility becomes apparent. The setup is more or less traditional string band fare—vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and upright bass—with the exception of a clean-sounding electric lead guitar. But the CCstringband isn’t just a bluegrass revival project. Started in East Tennessee by Robin Ella and her husband (mandolin player Cruz Contreras), the group also makes frequent forays into jazz (“Candy Coated Valentine”), Western swing (Red Foley’s classic, “Tennessee Saturday Night”), country (“Dress Me Up, Dress Me Down,” a tender, sleepy ballad recounting the simple happiness of childhood and the pain of growing up), singer-songwriter folk (“Mistakes”), New Orleans blues (the Shel-Silverstein-penned “Marie Laveaux”) and Gospel (the heavenly traditional spiritual, “Hold To God’s Unchanging Hand).” The album is also boosted by the stellar musicianship of guitarist Steve Kovalcheck and Cruz’ brother, fiddle player Billy Contreras, who perform tasteful breakneck arpeggios and staccato runs with fluid ease.