The 1980s and '90s have given us a number of artists who have been labeled bluegrass traditionalists but are actually country singers. With banjo player/singer Raymond W. McLain, however, there's no question that you're getting traditional bluegrass. An East Kentucky native who was a member of the McLain Family Band and later,
Jim and Jesse & the Virginia Boys, McLain took center stage on his solo project
A Place of My Own. From standard bluegrass favorites like "Cotton Eyed Joe" and "Cannonball Blues" to such McLain originals as "Silver Creek," "On the Road" and "Windswept," this CD is a very enjoyable example of bluegrass as it's often been heard at Anglo-American barn dances and square dances in rural areas of the South. One of
Place's most pleasant surprises is an interpretation of
Bob Wills' "Maiden's Prayer." Originally heard as Western swing with a jazz-influenced big-band arrangement, the classic works quite well with a small bluegrass combo. ~ Alex Henderson