The SteelDrivers

A brand new Nashville-based supergroup has taken on the task of putting the blues back into bluegrass. From the opening acoustic guitar riffs, then the rough rattle of Chris Stapleton’s husky voice, enhanced with the ripping fiddle and high harmonies of Tammy Rogers, you know you’re hearing something unique. And all that’s in the first song. Mandolinist Mike Henderson is a Nashville veteran with a reputation of being the all-around picker. He’s moving in a new direction here, and has surrounded himself with some hot players who obviously share his affinity for pushing boundaries. Rogers is best-known for her stint in the Dead Reckoners’ musical co-op, while Stapleton seems to have come from nowhere. Banjoist Richard Bailey and bassist Mike Fleming round out the quintet. It’s rare that the stiff genre of bluegrass stretches this much, but the SteelDrivers make a quantum leap. 4 stars.