Greensky Bluegrass

XXV

Thirty Tigers

As they celebrate a quarter of a century together, the members of Greensky Bluegrass must be wondering where the heck that time went. Well, the Michigan natives poured nine albums, an EP, and an endlessly demanding touring schedule into that 25-year blink of an eye. Listening to Greensky’s progression has been nothing short of an electrifying experience for people that appreciate virtuoso musicians playing traditional bluegrass bursting with soul and improvisational jamming wide open to possibilities.

Greensky came out of the pandemic in 2022 with its eighth album, Stress Dreams, at the time a crowning achievement given the locked down and thus close, distraction free environment it was conceived and recorded in. They opened and honed their vision even further last year with The Iceland Sessions with Holly Bowling. That studio EP, recorded in the summer of 2023 in the country’s remote wilderness while there for a slate of shows in Reykjavik, prominently features Bowling on piano. The pinnacles those four songs were, are now in retrospect, only a precursor to the sparkling excellence found throughout XXV.

This substantial 75-minute album features 13 songs that brim with intricate, soulful music and thoughtful, often abstract lyrics that relay the kinds of situations a listener can place themselves within. Several guests join the celebration. Utilizing Gary Nicholson and Wendy Waldman’s “Can’t Stop Now,” set to a pure, blazing bluegrass breakdown with guest Sam Bush on mandolin was a brilliant idea to begin the album. The song flawlessly displays how the prowess of lead, robust vocalist and mandolinist Paul Hoffman, Dobroist Anders Beck, guitarist Dave Bruzza, banjoist Michael Arlen Bont, and bassist Mike Devol, has become an unparalleled unit in the jam-grass style of music. And it sets the table for quite a feast to come.

Produced with just the right amount of bright polish by Tim Carbone, XXV presents a predominately upbeat vibe. Fellow Michigan folk star Lindsay Lou joins in for Hoffman’s “In Control,” a sort of Chapter 2 in many ways to “Can’t Stop Now.” Hoffman and Lou sing gloriously of steadfast love over a radiant melody. Then, Billy Strings joins in on guitar and in vocal duet with Hoffman on the light and snappy “Reverend.” That positive musical mode continues in “Old Barns,” which celebrates toil, opportunity, and life in general, in America.

The centerpiece of the set arrives with the 14 ½ minutes of “Last Winter in the Copper Country.” Holly Bowling colors the epic journey splendidly on piano in her grand, seemingly effortless manner. Hints of Chuck Leavell in her delivery, coupled with some Jerry Garcia-inspired picking amid the structure, create a mesmerizing experience. Bowling returns later for “Windshield,” a dramatic rock song featuring just herself on piano accompanied by Hoffman singing. The stunning atmosphere they create feels like eagles flying by a mountain lake. Greensky and Bowling belong together.

Time does in fact fly when you are having fun, and Greensky Bluegrass sure knows how to throw one heck of a party celebrating their unique, undeniable brand on the award-worthy XXV.

 Tom Clarke for MAS

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