{"id":654361,"date":"2016-08-10T14:22:14","date_gmt":"2016-08-10T18:22:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.fredericknewspost.com\/playlist\/?p=654361"},"modified":"2016-08-10T14:22:14","modified_gmt":"2016-08-10T18:22:14","slug":"grand-ole-ditch-unwind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/2016\/08\/10\/grand-ole-ditch-unwind\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Ole Ditch: ‘Unwind’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"god\"Here\u2019s something you won\u2019t read often in this column: The band doesn\u2019t need the drummer. Yet in this case, it\u2019s true.<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in 2014, with \u201cBig Red Ball,\u201d Grand Ole\u2019 Ditch offered up an endearing set of bluegrass ditties that ranged from barrels of fun (\u201cPigeon Eatin\u2019 Catfish\u201d) to shots of beauty (\u201cSadie Mell\u201d). It was a good record, one perfect for those who harmlessly enjoy harmless music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, in 2016, the Cumberland septet is back with \u201cUnwind,\u201d a decidedly more eclectic collection of music that stays true to its Americana roots while experimenting with accessible textures that only sometimes work. Out is the formulaic approach that made \u201cBig Red Ball\u201d so innocuous, and in is an ambition that reaches a little too far beyond its bounds on occasion, and also in is a drummer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis Time\u201d is the most obvious example of overextension. It opens like a Carrie Underwood song \u2026 or a Dierks Bentley song \u2026 or, essentially, any song you might hear on modern-day country-pop radio. The drums drive forward with a rock groove, while slide guitar, banjo and fiddle combine for a lukewarm riff that you swear you\u2019ve heard before. Perhaps the sore thumb wouldn\u2019t stick out so \u2026 well \u2026 sorely if the move didn\u2019t feel so manufactured, but it does, if only because there\u2019s nothing else around it that sounds entirely similar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not doing it any favors is \u201cCopper Kettle Coal,\u201d which has a load of potential but feels oddly forced whenever the verses come around. Breaking in half to accommodate a mid-tempo feel \u2014 led by rock drums \u2014 is not something Grand Ole\u2019 Ditch is known for doing, and while they deserve points for thinking outside the box, the move kind of makes you long for the happy bluegrass that these guys do so well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like on the opening title track. Building for nearly two minutes, the song explodes with a train beat that actually serves the live drums well. \u201cI spend all my week in a box and a seat, just waitin\u2019 for my chance to unwind\u201d is how the chorus unfolds, and with a bevy of countrified vocal harmonies behind it, the moment feels anthemic, begging to be the first song played at a bluegrass festival near you. Throw in some tasteful, quick soloing, and what you have is a memorable call to arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equally as fun is \u201cChester\u2019s Breakdown,\u201d which accelerates at a lightning pace and refuses to slow down for even a second after the gas pedal hits the floor. Hearing players sprint through their moments under the spotlight is like passing a scalding-hot skillet from one set of hands to another. Rarely do you have time to catch your breath, and that\u2019s a good thing. It\u2019s a lesson in impatient expedition that everyone should be happy to study.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFoolish Pride,\u201d the set\u2019s swan song, keeps the pace intense while adding melancholy vocals and quirky baritone backing vocals that ought to force a smile onto any listener\u2019s face. The trick even recalls an air of doo-wop that\u2019s exactly as charming as it sounds. \u201cPick Me Up\u201d slows things down a little, but the energy cuts deeper as a line like \u201cYou pick me up just to put me down again\u201d anchors the production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, it\u2019s not enough to erase the stain of a track like \u201cWhippoorwill.\u201d It\u2019s just too blatant an attempt to cross over into adult contemporary radio. Sure, an orchestral fiddle fills in some of the blanks with beauty, but once the transition into tropical flair introduces itself after about a minute and a half, all of the heads should be all types of scratched. Jumping back into the soft rock sludge that carries the verses only dampens the mood.<\/span><\/p>\n

All told, the misstep could have been avoided if the band decided to lose the sticks. It\u2019s not anybody\u2019s fault, really \u2014 Todd Hocherl isn\u2019t a bad player by any means, and given the material, it\u2019s hard to imagine what parts might fit better than what he\u2019s already doing. But this is not a group that needs the traditional drum element to excel. Rather, the traditional bluegrass formula is what serves Grand Ole\u2019 Ditch so well, and the traditional bluegrass formula is not heard enough on \u201cUnwind.\u201d The talent is there, but the focus isn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

So \u2026 Grand Ole\u2019 Ditch the drummer? Grand Ole\u2019 Ditch the drummer.<\/span><\/p>\n

** 2 1\/2 STARS OUT OF 4 **<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s something you won\u2019t read often in this column: The band doesn\u2019t need the drummer. Yet in this case, it\u2019s true. Back in 2014, with \u201cBig Red Ball,\u201d Grand Ole\u2019…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-654361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fnpsites.net\/playlist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}