The Railsplitters

It's fairly evident from "Jackson Town," the opening cut on the Railsplitters' twelve-song, self-titled debut, and tunes like "Lonesome Feeling" and "Blue Moon" that the Boulder-based quartet has a respectable handle on traditional bluegrass. But elsewhere on the disc, it's clear that bluegrass and roots are also something of a...

By Jon Solomon

February 27, 2014

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It's fairly evident from "Jackson Town," the opening cut on the Railsplitters' twelve-song, self-titled debut, and tunes like "Lonesome Feeling" and "Blue Moon" that the Boulder-based quartet has a respectable handle on traditional bluegrass. But elsewhere on the disc, it's clear that bluegrass and roots are also something of a springboard for the group. Dusty Rider's outstanding modern banjo picking, à la Béla Fleck, fuels "My World," and the instrumental "Longs Peak," which features some deft picking by mandolin player Peter Sharpe, reveals a kinship with more progressive bluegrass acts like Crooked Still. "Where You Are," meanwhile, is a relaxed folk cut with lovely vocals from Lauren Stovall and pretty harmonies from the rest of the band.

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