Tag: Steep Canyon Rangers

‘Be Still Moses’ is a bit of a curate’s egg, partly bad, partly good, although, to be fair, none of it is really bad, just slightly over-egged. The album finds the Rangers teaming up with the symphony orchestra from their hometown, Asheville, North Carolina, performing a selection of songs culled from past albums and rearranged to accommodate the orchestra. It stems from a desire by the orchestra’s executive director to integrate the symphony orchestra with local musicians, a worthy cause to be sure and one which probably enriches the local scene but does it work on disc – are bluegrass and orchestras the new prog rock? Continue reading “Steep Canyon Rangers & Asheville Symphony “Be Still Moses” (Yep Roc Records, 2020)”

Live albums can often feel a pointless affair: a selection of songs you already know usually played to a lesser standard than the studio version, a crowd you weren’t part of, cheering in the background, and no way to witness the performance visually. With major label acts, the live album is often put out there as a money grab, or as a way for the artist to tick another one off the number of required albums in a recording contract. So it is a relief to see that the Steep Canyon Rangers have offered us something different in ‘North Carolina Songbook’. Continue reading “Steep Canyon Rangers “North Carolina Songbook” (Yep Roc Records, 2019)”