Search - Rhonda Vincent :: Written in the Stars

Bait and Switch: Rhonda Vincent tries to be a Country Diva a

Mark J. Fowler | Okinawa, Japan | 09/12/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Rhonda Vincent is a talented woman with a very pleasant voice that she uses well. She leads one of the premiere Bluegrass Bands in existence. Her last three Bluegrass recordings have been extremely well-received by critics and fans alike.



All that being said, she also appears to have a strong desire to be the next Reba McIntyre and appearances extend to the fact that she doesn't mind stepping on a few toes and offending a few folks to achieve that goal. Bluegrass has long been a weak "second fiddle" to Top Banana "Big Country", pretty much since the beginning of the rock and roll era. Prior to that Bill Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs played with equal billing to Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. With the advent of electric guitars and "Hee Haw" Bluegrass became the hayseed kin.



The hard-core Bluegrass fan kept the faith, though, and Bluegrass stars who "cross-over" are remembered, but not fully accepted in their Country mode. Alison Krauss began to change things with her "Now That I've Found You" album and Bluegrass, which hadn't had a "hit" or a gold record in decades, now has had many since (and including) that recording.



Rhonda Vincent grew up playing Bluegrass, then spent the better part of a decade trying to become a big Country star. Somehow the idea came to go back to Bluegrass and, as noted above, her last three albums were all as well-received as Bluegrass CDs are. She made Grand Ol' Opry appearances and even became the musical voice for Martha White - taking the position previously held with honor by no less than Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.



Now this album - "Written in the Stars" - is released, and because of how well I liked her previous three bluegrass albums I bought it sight unheard.



I've been had. This CD is neither "new" or "bluegrass". Turns out to be a re-release of a Country album she recorded in 1993.



Is it a good country album? It's all right. It fits right in with the "big hair bunch". The singing is good, the playing is good, the harmonies are good.



It's just not Bluegrass and to lead the potential buyer to think anything else is misleading.



The truth is I like good country very much. But I like good Bluegrass a little better and I STRONGLY dislike being duped.

"