Del McCoury - High Lonesome and Blue

Del McCoury has benefited as much as almost anyone from the resurgence of interest in traditional bluegrass and country music since O Brother, Where Art Thou? hit America like a ton of hicks (er, bricks). McCoury’s credentials include standing as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and a consistent winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Entertainer of the Year Award.” This collection brings together some of McCoury’s best work from the late-’80s through the mid-’90s, his bright ringing tenor cutting through on memorable classics like “Don’t Our Love Look Natural?” and “If You’ve Got the Money Honey.” His crisp guitar rhythm lays the foundation for blistering banjo-and-mandolin runs from Rob and Ronnie McCoury, respectively. A solid,16-song collection, Rounder places McCoury’s version of Steve Earle’s “If You Need a Fool” side by side with Bill Monroe’s “The Bluest Man in Town,” as if to revel in bluegrass music’s versatility, continuity, and prospective vitality for decades to come.