Mama Kershaw's Boy came from the middle of
Doug Kershaw's seven-year stay on Warner Bros., and considering it's his eighth album in five years, he shows little slackening in either originality or excitement.
Kershaw by this time was using a falsetto range in some of his singing which takes a little getting used to on numbers such as "Nickel in My Pocket," but beyond that this album is as solid and consistent as anything in his output. If anything, his fiddle-playing is more robust and that adds some sparks not just to the dance numbers but also to the ballads here, most notably "Hi Lady"; the latter song is juxtaposed with the sweetly lyrical "Lady Ann," a sincerely subdued piece that could be the highlight of the album, just based on its restraint. ~ Bruce Eder