In a way, it seems to make little sense to call
the Seldom Scene "
the Seldom Scene," because only one member -- banjoist
Ben Eldridge -- is an original member; furthermore, while the band has retained certain characteristics over the last 30 years (the Dobro, for instance), there is no resemblance to the
Starling/
Duffey-led band of the '70s. Having said that, a name is just a name, and only worth as much as the members under its banner. In this sense,
the Seldom Scene are blessed with a superb lineup, including
Eldridge, Dobroist
Fred Travers, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist
Ronnie Simpkins, mandolinist
Lou Reid, and guitarist
Dudley Connell; they also meet the band's legacy head-on, revisiting
Duffey and Ann Hill's "Don't Bother with White Satin." These guys play and sing well together, delivering charged performances of
Steve Earle's "Hometown Blues" and a well-wrought version of
John Fogerty's "A Hundred and Ten in the Shade." There's also a nice take on
Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow Is a Long Time." These guys are professionals through and through, which means they always sound good; the flip side of this professionalism, however, is a predictable veneer that smoothes over all things emotional. The band ends the album with the joyfully old-fashioned (and sexist) "Too Bad You're No Good," and
Scenechronized would have benefited from more nonsense like this (sans the sexism). Fans who loved the original lineup of
the Seldom Scene may carp that much has changed, but the music is still a notch above most of the contemporary bluegrass out there. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.