Their 11-track album is a wonderful mixture of classic styles so characteristic of Ma and the Southern bluegrass styles known best of Thile. I can’t say the quality of the album is a surprise. Put Ma on anything and failure becomes doubtful.
Some of you may know Thile from his work with “Nickel Creek.” I’ll admit, I haven’t listened to much of his work other than the Tiny Desk Concert podcast hosted by NPR. What I have heard, I’ve loved. Unfortunately, his voice is not as prominent on this album as in his other works. But there are a couple tracks where he sings with vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, “Here and Heaven,” featured on iTunes several weeks ago, and “No One But You.”
The tracks range from featuring each instrument and each style of the musicians, which altogether makes the album quite refreshing from most music produced in popular culture these days, not that other albums come even near the talent of these four artists.
There are a few tracks to look out for, or maybe “prepare” would be the operative word. “Where’s My Bow,” track four on the album, takes an interesting turn after hearing tracks one through three. There’s dissonance, or for those of you who haven’t taken the required basic music class, “ugly notes” (for lack of a better term). But don’t skip the track! Though the whole track is not dissonant, there’s beauty within those “off” sounding notes being pounded on each instrument. Give it a chance; you might find that it adds to the album as a whole.
There are various ways to listen to “The Goat Rodeo Sessions.” It is available for free on Spotify and Grooveshark and if you really like it, you can purchase it for $10.99 on Amazon.com and iTunes. Not a bluegrass or classical music fan? Give this group a chance. It’s different, providing a breath of fresh air, cathartic even, allowing you to feel the emotions conveyed through each note, a great album to listen to while walking in the last bits of autumn weather. Enjoy it while it lasts. As for me, I’m going to be praying for “The Goat Rodeo Sessions Tour” 2012, whether it happens or not.
