Jerks of Grass: Come On Home

From the Northeast comes a unique sound from a band with a unique name -- Jerks of Grass. The latest release by this band is a mix of old-time, bluegrass and solid traditional music with solid roots. Listening to their Come On Home album, you would think that these musicians come from America's mountain music region. Far from it. Try New England's Portland, Maine area. This area has spawned a lot of great bluegrass acts over the years and Jerks of Grass are certainly one of the best from the region.

The first thing that captures your attention is the flow of the instrumentation on the entire album. All 14 tracks sings in a way that is always refreshing and unique. Fiddles are tight, guitars are right and the themes flow. While many albums have almost the same "sound" from track to track, this album is more of a showcase of the band's many talents.

There is variety of form and essence on this album. From "Big Spike Hammer" and "Tennessee Waltz", bluegrass traditionals to a more rootsy "Something", the band keeps the listener entertained. "Foggy Mountain Special" and "Deep River Blues" are ragtime bluesy sounding pieces that gets your feet tapping. Its unavoidable! Ballads like "Down In The Willow Garden" are bluegrass to the core.

The album has a fair number of lively instrumentals to round out the the feel and they are as colorful as the vocal pieces themselves. This is definitely a group that we'll probably be hearing more about down the road and Come on Home is a good showcase of what's down that road.

The album has a junk track at the end. As readers know, I'm not a big fan of bonus tracks or junk tracks unless they really add to the material. In the case of this album, it would have been better if this final track were not there.

Added: June 4th 2009
Reviewer: Bob Cherry
Score:
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