Drive Time

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver begin this brief disc (seven tracks, 25 minutes) with an inspired choice. When Paul Simon sang a duet with Phoebe Snow on his original composition "Gone at Last" in 1975, the two treated it as a gospel-inflected number. Lawson and co. don't really have to change it that much to render it as a bluegrass favorite, however, and it makes a good introduction to a collection that provides a précis of what the band does best. "Country Store" is a sentimental reminiscence about an institution that may be fading away in the age of Wal-Mart. "Leavin' and Lovin' You" and "Love on Arrival" present two sides of the romantic conundrum. "The Greenbrier Hop" is a lively bluegrass instrumental. "Precious Memories" is a well-considered version of the bluegrass gospel standard. And "Gone Long Gone" is a blistering closer. For Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, this is an account of what they do, drawn in miniature.