In the post-millennium, bluegrass players are categorized as progressive, retro, or contemporary (which is somewhere in between). A few players, however, play traditional bluegrass without self-consciousness. A veteran of
Ricky Skaggs'
Kentucky Thunder,
Jim Mills plays the music of
Bill Monroe and
Lester Flatt with an honesty that reveals a natural inclination.
My Dixie Home kicks off with a charged-up version of the title track featuring
Skaggs' lead vocal and mandolin work. "Take the D Train" follows, and is one of several instrumental tracks that allows banjoist
Mills and fiddler
Stuart Duncan to show why their picking skills are in such demand. There are guest vocals by
Tim O'Brien, Dan Tyminski, and
Paul Brewster and additional instrumental support from bassist
Barry Bales and mandolinist
Adam Steffey. There's no grandstanding, despite the all-star guest list. And since
Mills' approach is so straightforward, the material forms a unified album despite the multiple vocalists. There are a number of points of special interest.
O'Brien provides a fine backwoods vocal on
Dock Boggs' "Country Blues," while
Brewster delivers a good version of
Jimmy Skinner's "Will You Be Satisfied." The album ends with the spunky "I'll See You in My Dreams," an instrumental that gives
Mills a chance to show off his guitar playing.
My Dixie Home has an abundance of good picking and singing, and traditional bluegrass fans will not want to miss it. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.