The pure soul of this country "brother" duo is laid out in all its glory here. With nothing but bass backup from yet a third sibling, Everett Alan Lilly, it is like a heaping buffet consisting of nothing but steaming mashed potatoes, meat, and green beans. This delicious material, ranging from old-time material to a current country hit, originated on the Prestige label. The jazz label was jumping on the resurgence of interest in folk music of the '60s by starting up a Folklore line.
The Lilly Brothers were kingpins on the New England folk scene, specializing in an interpretation of
Bill Monroe they had tweaked until it practically sparkled. They are captured with the pristine recording quality of a Rudy Van Gelder jazz session. Some of the tracks, such as "I'm Troubled I'm Troubled," are total classics.
The Lilly Brothers are as swinging as they are moving. And listeners may not be able to get over just how beautiful sounding an album this is. ~ Eugene Chadbourne