The Grascals’ 20 is a thirteen-track outing that commemorates the band’s improbably
successful 20-year run promoting a rather hoary and niche style of popular music. What they’re peddling, instead, is a continually vital form of music that encourages community, shows tremendous musicianship, and never fails to entertain listeners. A constant balance between today and yesterday distinguishes their catalog and public appearances over these last two decades. Evidence for that abounds on 20 as well. They’ve succeeded in writing, recording, and picking songs for a release that qualifies as both a summation and clearing the decks for the future to come.
WEBSITE: https://grascals.com/
I hear their choice opening 20 with Boudleaux and Felice Bryant’s arguably neglected “Tennessee Hound Dog”, first popularized by The Osborne Brothers, as daring. It is a statement of identity, but it’s one of many faces The Grascals convincingly wear. Leading with it is telling. It says their first allegiance is to showcase bluegrass’ history and enduring possibilities side by side by revamping an increasingly mothballed jewel with modern and individual luster. It is a sleek, even muscular band piece in the hands of The Gracals. It rockets 20 off to a memorable start.
They temper their capacity for musical fireworks with the second cut. “Coal Dust Kisses” perhaps narrows its possible appeal by regionalizing itself, but mature and attentive listeners will still appreciate the attention-grabbing human drama playing out in its lyrics. “Some People Make It” will resonate with a lot of listeners. Tradition is key as The Grascals structure it with the classic AAB rhyme scheme and other customary genre tropes. Playing it as a bluegrass track lightens its touch while never diluting the lyrical discontent. Perhaps it’s low-hanging fruit as subject matter, but that’s a cynical take. It’s common songwriting ground that virtually any listener can unit on,
“Reflection” sweeps over you, recalling panoramic shots of pastoral landscapes unfolding before your eyes, the song’s acoustic instrumentation washing over you like a cool breeze. It’s far closer to folk music than bluegrass, but nevertheless, it stays well within 20’s sonic wheelhouse. The full-throated yearning powering the song’s vocals is among the album’s highlights. One of the moments “I Go” hinges on for its lasting success is a tempo change near the song’s mid-way point. If the transition proves as agreeable for you as it is for me, “I Go” will cruise towards being one of your favorite moments in this collection. It brims with an effervescent buoyance that few of the other 20 songs share to this degree.
Weaving a distinctive pedal steel whine into the fabric of “Jenny” secures a place in my heart as well. It is more of a character study than the earlier “I Need a Night Off” and “The First Step”, but it packs all the impact you want from a vulnerable ballad. “Just Let Me Know” pairs well with this song by providing pop-tinged release in the aftermath of the emotional weight that “Jenny” brings to bear. The Grascals’ 20 covers every possible base for today’s lovers of traditional country, and bluegrass. You hear plenty of mainstream commercial appeal that’s helped them maintain such visibility over the last 20 years, and we can expect it to keep rolling without end.
Chadwick Easton