One Morning in May

One Morning in May dates from the early days of the New England Bluegrass Boys, when Joe Val's razor-sharp tenor voice was matched almost eerily by that of guitarist Herb Applin; though you can argue that later lead singers (in particular the mighty Dave Dillon) complemented him better, there was an undeniable power in the classic high, lonesome sound that Applin and Val generated together. "One Morning in May" was recorded in 1971, when Val's voice was at its peak strength — bluegrass standards like "Sparkling Brown Eyes" and "Dark Hollow" are perfect showcases for the power and range of that spectacular voice. The program also includes a few fine gospel numbers, a decent Val-penned instrumental, and the requisite tear-jerking, poor-child-dying-in-the-snow song ("The Little Paper Boy"). It's too bad Val's and Applin's voices weren't recorded a bit more cleanly, but the band sounds great — Bob French was one of the best meat-and-potatoes banjo players around, and Herb Applin's guitar playing is unassuming but solid. Val himself, staunch traditionalist though he was, had an endearing tendency to get a bit too bouncy and syncopated with the mandolin backbeats, but this edition of the New England Bluegrass Boys was as solid as any that followed. Here's hoping the rest of Val's back catalog finds its way onto CD, the sooner the better.