Produced by Forrester Savell (Karnivool), the third LP from Mustered Courage vacillates between classic bluegrass a la Flatt & Scruggs (“Can’t Hide from the Moonshine”) and the adult-oriented roots innovations of Béla Fleck (“A Thousand Bullets”).
A more up-tempo offering than Powerlines (2013), it’s replete with crisp banjo rolls (“Leave This Life Behind”), liberal solo breaks for mandolin, fiddle, Dobro and guitar, and polished four-part harmonies. There are shades of Old Crow’s Ketch Secor in Nick Keeling’s vocal, while striking points of difference include the addition of drums, brass (“Same Old Thing Again”), and a tilt at urban groove (“Draw Five”). Mustered Courage carry it all off with hooky appeal.
320 kbps | 104 MB UL | HF | MC ** FLAC
1. Leave This Life Behind
2. A Thousand Bullets
3. Another Dawn
4. Same Old Thing Again
5. The Flames of You and I
6. Never Been Better Before
7. Draw Five
8. Can’t Hide from the Moonshine
9. Honesty
10. The Future feat. Audra Mae
11. Burning Bridges
12. Worry