Cameron�s voice lies somewhere between the childish croon of Sara Watkins and Patty Griffin�s powerful pipes, it can carry both ballads and the more up-tempo numbers. Her tune �Cars, Trucks, and Motorbikes� starts at a whisper and then builds into a driving country-rock tune with layered guitars from Russell Cook and Evans. Russell�s songs blend a bit more with the country blues tradition, especially on the minor-key finger-picked �Jody Grinder.� The song accentuates the cadences with subtle brushed percussion. Joseph Evans really gets a chance to stretch out with two solos. The lyrics tell the story of a chance encounter with country girl. Russell�s tenor croons �was loud upon my ear the sound of flesh and bone on steel / and it barely warmed the ground where the grinders blood did spill.� The tragic song cuts to the bone. For all the album�s diversity within the bounds of acoustic music, it is not without missteps. Russell�s tune �Genuine Dixie Man� feels a bit too chummy, almost mocking the style that has succeeded so well on the rest of the album. �C�mon everybody, all down the line, can�t you see those moonlight shadows cast upon the Georgia pines� and then �you can give me Tennessee, Alabama, Carolina, Ken-tuck-ee� is beyond clich� and almost inane. Cameron�s tune �Straight Blade� starts as a parlor-esque Jazz tune and then turns into yet another showcase for Joseph Evans brilliant picking. Russell�s �Can�t Stand the Heartache� once again fuses the precision of the bluegrass with a bluesy minor-chord progression. When the other songs seem weak on vocals, the precise musicianship pulls them through. The record offers something new with each spin. Russell�s tune �So Hard� starts as a solo country-waltz in the verse with female accompanying harmonies. After the second chorus the resophonic guitar and the chime slides over to accentuate the pivotal notes. The chime comes back to the recurring chorus that although repetitive somehow seems different each time. At fourteen tracks the album may seem overstuffed but at 43 minutes the record has just enough time to develop. I�ve never been of the philosophy that bands should fashion an album with 10 even tracks and stop there. The best albums have a few tracks that jump out after the first few listens and then a few more tracks that you come across after more listen, and then the last tracks that really make you work for your money. Yes the Gillian Welch comparisons are inevitable but the sound is much less spare and the arrangements fuller. The songs are strong enough to stand on a singer/songwriter album and the arrangements seem both set firmly within bluegrass but also simultaneously breaking it�s rules. You can just tap your feet or pour over the lyrics and you�ll find Appalachia alive at the Melting Pot when the Giants are on the stage. Jeff McMahon is a graduate student in the Boston area. He loves organic music of any sort and has enough instruments to create a one-man bluegrass band (if he had the chops). He loves to jam out to his favorite tunes and writes a little poetry as well.