Cherryholmes II - Black and White

Cherryholmes II - Black and White

Cherryholmes II: Black and White solidifies the family sextet’s claim as a front-rank bluegrass combo, reworking the genre’s traditional motifs with relish. This time, Jere and Sandy Lee Cherryholmes mostly take subordinate roles to allow their talented children to shine (although Sandy delivers some achingly evocative lead vocals on “My True Love”). Among the siblings, B.J. stands out for his bow-scorching fiddle work and plaintive singing on tracks like “Don’t Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl” and “Turned Me Down.” Even more impressive is Cia Leigh, a dazzling banjo picker as well as a vocalist of wistful grace (as evidenced by “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and the title tune). As an ensemble, Cherryholmes excels in steeplechase-fast breakdowns (“The Nine Yards”), bittersweet, vaguely Western numbers (“Greedy Hands”) and Celtic-tinged dance tunes (“Bootstrap Bill”). While Black and White’s musical palette is mostly confined to bluegrass tones, “Darkness on the Delta” takes them into unexpected ‘30s swing territory. It’s all fine stuff, performed impeccably with an air of familial give-and-take.

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