Search - Jim & Jennie & Pinetops :: Rivers Roll on By

Sweet, old-fashioned bluegrass with a modern twist

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 05/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jim & Jennie and the Pinetoppers are urban hipsters who have embraced the craggy pre-bluegrass style called "old-timey" music, although on their new album, recorded for the super-altie Bloodshot label, they've actually inched away from the clattersome anarchy of their previous albums towards something closer to straight-up bluegrass and folk.



It was definitely worth the three-year wait for fans to hear this new set... The softer, more professional approach gives Jim & Jennie's work a more authoritative feel, yet just when they seem to be settling into a more comfortable, mainstream bluegrass mode, they gently drift into space-rockish terrain on a couple of tunes towards the end of the album, which helps keep things a little freaky. There's something compelling about this band -- the group has a singular presence, exuding a freshness and enthusiasm unlike that of many mainstream bluegrass crews -- Jim & Jennie take respectful advantage of the mountain music style without subsuming themselves to tradition and, as always, they dazzle us with a remarkable blend of naifish simplicity and canny innovation. Recommended!"