The Trail of Aching Hearts

When it comes to contemporary bluegrass, the Special Consensus are a group that can be counted on to deliver a top-notch performance on album after album. Bluegrass may be filed under "roots" music, and bluegrass may have an air of rustic naturalness about it, but working bands like the Special Consensus are professionals. Fans, then, will appreciate the well-played and well-sung songs on the band's latest release, The Trail of Aching Hearts, but will hardly be surprised by it. Banjoist Greg Cahill, mandolinist Ron Spears, guitarist Justin Carbone, and bassist David Thomas deliver an eclectic mix of songs and instrumentals, and are joined by several guests including fiddler Tim Crouch and dobro player Phil Leadbetter. There are a number of originals, like the opener, "I'd Like to Wander Back to the Old Home," and classics like Roy Acuff's "Branded Wherever I Go." Perhaps the odd song out here is Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies," hardly standard bluegrass fare. But the Special Consensus lay out a jazzy instrumental take of the song, reminiscent of the wonderful strain of acoustic jazz practiced by Tony Rice and others, and it's one of the brightest selections on the album. When a group has been around long enough to record 13 albums in a conservative genre like bluegrass, the average fan is probably less concerned with originality than a solid performance and set list. On both counts, Special Consensus bring home the goods. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi