Jedd Hughes - "Transcontinental"
(MCA Nashville, 2004) - * * * 1/2
Much like artists who came before him, including Alison Krauss and the Del McCoury Band, Jed Hughes wants to bring a contemporary bluegrass sound to modern country music. It would seem that since bands like Nickel Creek came around in the early part of the decade, it's become cool to want to bring bluegrass into the 21st century, something that tends to anger genre purists who don't think the style should have changed since the 1830s.
The problem with those purists is they're missing out on a revolution in country music. Krauss and McCoury may have built the road, and Nickel Creek paved it ... but Jedd Hughes finally makes it rock. Taking a page from 80s-era Steve Earle, Hughes has created an album that features amazing fingerpicked guitar coupled with light bluegrass tinged vocals to rival anyone in the business. He also has a surprising ability to blend rock, country and traditional americana to create an album that runs the gamut from emotional ballads ("Time To Say Goodnight") to outright bluesy rockers ("Snake In The Grass") all without losing the subtlety that makes a song like "High Lonesome" sound both classic and contemporary. Which gives his music the amazing ability to shift when necessary. Just listen to the difference between the album version of that particular song and its NapsterLive acoustic counterpart.
Hughes clearly has the range, the creativity and the musical chops to turn this solid debut into a successful country career. Let's just hope radio success soon follows.
Much like artists who came before him, including Alison Krauss and the Del McCoury Band, Jed Hughes wants to bring a contemporary bluegrass sound to modern country music. It would seem that since bands like Nickel Creek came around in the early part of the decade, it's become cool to want to bring bluegrass into the 21st century, something that tends to anger genre purists who don't think the style should have changed since the 1830s.
The problem with those purists is they're missing out on a revolution in country music. Krauss and McCoury may have built the road, and Nickel Creek paved it ... but Jedd Hughes finally makes it rock. Taking a page from 80s-era Steve Earle, Hughes has created an album that features amazing fingerpicked guitar coupled with light bluegrass tinged vocals to rival anyone in the business. He also has a surprising ability to blend rock, country and traditional americana to create an album that runs the gamut from emotional ballads ("Time To Say Goodnight") to outright bluesy rockers ("Snake In The Grass") all without losing the subtlety that makes a song like "High Lonesome" sound both classic and contemporary. Which gives his music the amazing ability to shift when necessary. Just listen to the difference between the album version of that particular song and its NapsterLive acoustic counterpart.
Hughes clearly has the range, the creativity and the musical chops to turn this solid debut into a successful country career. Let's just hope radio success soon follows.
posted by Jonathan Sanders @ 5:46 PM
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