The Railsplitters, Jump In Review

CountryEditor's Pick

The Railsplitters, Jump In Review 2

The Railsplitters are pushing the boundaries of bluegrass and old-time music in every sense. Hailing from the Rocky Mountain front-range in Boulder, CO, the Railsplitters are: mandolinist Peter Sharpe and his fiancée, vocalist and guitarist Lauren Stovall, double bassist Jean-Luc Davis, fiddler Joe D’Esposito, and banjoist and vocalist Dusty Rider. The Railsplitters have won multiple awards including first place in the RockyGrass Band Competition in 2013. They’ve also successfully crowd-funded all three of their studio albums, including their latest, Jump In, which features ten tracks of all new, genre bending, original music. That’s the short of it!

Positives:

Strong melodies sung by Stovall’s warm clear voice, lush vocal harmonies, instrumental virtuosity and creative songwriting. The Railsplitters combine the best of the musical tradition of bluegrass with various musical influences, ranging from samba to hip hop, all presented with a traditional Appalachian music overtone.

Bottom Line:

The Railsplitters are writing fluid acoustic music that has expanded forms and melody sections and rhythms borrowed from various genres, but they have the heart and soul of bluegrass music pumping through every melody, chord and note. Unabashedly on the progressive side of bluegrass, one will find outstanding songwriting, playing and singing on all ten tracks. The Railsplitters will reward anyone willing to take the easy musical challenge to incorporate more expanded sounds, forms and melodies using a traditional five-piece acoustic lineup that is deeply based in the bluegrass tradition.

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