The CD case defines
Yonder: within sight, but not near, further. That might define the music on this disc as well. Whatever they were trying to get on tape here, it is still up "yonder." It isn't that the music is lousy, any collaboration between bluegrass favorites
Peter Rowan and
Jerry Douglas couldn't be lousy, it is just that the music never seems to really heat up. Almost all of the tunes here are mid-tempo songs, and there aren't any brilliant solos, mostly just competent, communicative playing between the two. The music is nice, the playing is nice, the singing is nice. The album is disappointing because of the sense that these two could have stepped it up a notch. Why aren't they having more fun? The album is about one-third traditional arrangements, one-third covers, and one-third original
Rowan tunes. The most interesting of the
Peter Rowan compositions is "You Taught Me How to Lose," which is reminiscent of a
Hank Williams song, fitting in well with these traditional songs.