The Coldest Part of Winter

You can always count on guitarist and singer Larry Sparks and his band to bring us some of the best traditionally-grounded bluegrass on the market today. Larry's been playing and singing bluegrass for over five decades. He played with the Stanley Brothers from 1963 until Carter died in 1966. Then he was Ralph's lead singer from 1967 until 1969 when he formed his own band. This project features four young, talented sidekicks: Josh McMurray (banjo), Scott Napier (mandolin), Matthew Madden (bass), and special guest Michael Cleveland (fiddle). Napier and McMurray do a fine job singing the harmonies to Sparks' pleasant baritone leads. With the exception of the traditional "Soldier's Joy" that is a showcase for Cleveland, the songs are fresh, new material written primarily by Marshal Warwick or David Norris. Marvin Harlow, Scott Napier and Larry Sparks also contribute one song apiece. I was quite impressed with Warwick's songwriting skill, and five of his songs are offered among the album's first seven tracks. The supercharged "Leavin' Me" opens the album in the same lonesome way that Sparks kicks off many of his live shows. Another penned by Warwick, "You Ain't Lived," is a nostalgic look at the joys of country life. "Winter in Miami" has a country bounce, provides the inspiration for the album's title, and tells us that "the coldest part of winter is good-bye." Old love letters, crickets chirping, the moon shining, the smell of honeysuckle, and stars twinkling recall the simple things of love in "Let's Turn Back the Clock." Bill Monroe would have been proud of Napier's instrumental composition, "Parkway Blues." Sparks' flatpicking kicks off "This Old Road," a David Norris song of a rambler returning home. Norris' "He Walked All the Way Home" is a ballad of a Civil War soldier returning home to start his life again, and Norris' "Our Old Home" has a familiar bluegrass theme with its testament to the hard work of a farming family and encroaching development. The album closes with a Sparks' original, "Lord, Show Me The Way," a drifter's plea for direction to the beautiful home "somewhere beyond the sky." This self-penned composition has the potential for considerable airplay and placement on the bluegrass gospel charts. Sparks and his band have another winner with this album that also showcases two-time IBMA fiddler of the year Cleveland, as well as some fine new bluegrass songs that convey some very traditional messages. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)