Darrell Scott String Band Old Cane Back Rocker (CD)

(Here Records) 12 tracks, digisleeve

It seems like Darrell Scott is moving to the country with "Old Cane Back Rocker" - at least musically. The Darrell Scott String Band - featuring bassist Bryn Davies, fiddler Shad Cobb and Matt Flinner on banjo and mandolin - will release their new album in August 2023.

But three tracks - Scott's own tunes "Kentucky Morning" and "Charlie and Ruby" and a cover of Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Southern Cross" - available for a limited time on Scott's website seem to indicate why this group is no longer called the Darrell Scott Bluegrass Band. Because while the bluegrass instrumentation hasn't changed, the musical result has. This is country music, designed to give Scott the kind of mainstream attention that - incredibly - has mostly eluded him. And in that regard, fans can only hope it works; Scott deserves every bit of success he gets. Then, as he draws more people to his concerts, he can wow them with the wide range of music he does best, including true bluegrass.