Chatham County Line are an untraditional band in a deeply traditional genre. The Raleigh-based quartet play bluegrass as well as any contemporary American group; just check out the crisp picking and tight vocal and instrumental harmonies throughout the album. Yet their focus is on songcraft rather than technique. “The Traveler” and “Girl She Used to Be” are rich, melancholy love songs. Challenging arrangements adorn “Ships at Sea” and the soldier's elegy “Final Reward,” which features piano and a French horn. The band pick up the tempo with the standout “Tightrope of Love,” while “Sixteen Years” is a midtempo tune that borrows a melody line from Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire.” “Hawk” is a sparse and moving tribute to a World War II fighter pilot. The album's self-reflective lyrics are well crafted and poignant, touching on themes not usually associated with bluegrass. Befitting such mature material, Tightrope's pace is slower overall yet unfailingly affecting.