Search - Lost & Found :: It's About Time

Happy-go-lucky lilt that lays down nicely in a cozy groove

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 06/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a band, Allen Mills and Dempsey Young now have three decades under their belts with the Lost and Found. Mills once said, "At the time we started this band, all of us were lost in other bands, but we found each other through a mutual love for bluegrass music." Lost and Found's signature sound is one characterized by a line in the Rick May song, "Johnston's Grocery Store." The banjos ring, the mandolins bark, the people tap their toes, and the bass kept time to the guitar strum. In a sense, their music is friendly and comfortable, and it just seems to fit like a pair of well-traveled shoes.Besides playing bass, Mills sings lead on eight of the twelve tracks. Mills is equally comfortable with classic country songs like "Wreck of the Old 97," "Log Cabin in the Lane", and "Down the Road", as he is newer material like "Johnston's Grocery Store," "Just About Then," and "Travelin' Down A Gravel Road." None of them are at breakneck speed. The songs are simply performed with a happy-go-lucky lilt that lays down nicely in a cozy bluegrass groove. Guitarist Scottie Sparks handles lead vocals on "Fourteen Carat Mind" and "Window Up Above." On two other cuts (Teardrops in my Eyes; Cold, Icy Fingers), the guitar and lead vocal duties are handled, in fine classic country "barry-tone" style, by Barry Berrier. Guitarist Junior Sisk appears on three cuts. The interplay of banjo and mandolin (played by Ronald Smith and Dempsey Young, respectively) is another key element of the Lost and Found distinctive presentation. Despite the lack of hot guitar leads, dobro and fiddle, I've always enjoyed the sheer buoyancy of the Lost and Found's cheery sound. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)"

Sweet bluegrass with a mournful romantic edge

Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 01/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sweet, heartsong-heavy tradgrass, with several well-chosen cover tunes. These guys aren't the world's most dazzling or flashy musicians, but they hit the emotional content of these songs squarely on the head. The songs range from a straight cover of "Wreck of the Old 97" and Red Allen's "Teardrops In my Eyes" to country-based classics like Dallas Frazier's "Fourteen Carat Mind" and George Jones's "Window Up Above." A nice, unassuming album which has plenty of nice touches and solid picking throughout."