High Lonesome (Rounder, 1999)

Comprised of six members whose previous credits include stints with Bill Monroe, the Seldom Scene, the Johnson Mountain Boys and many other acclaimed bluegrass acts, Longview are the very definition of a "supergroup." Perhaps as a result of their esteemed lineages, James King, Dudley Connell, Don Rigsby, Joe Mullins, Glen Duncan and Marshall Wilborn are musicians who are remarkably in sync, considering this is only their second album.

Though the album¦s title track was written by contemporary country songsmith Gretchen Peters, you might be hard-pressed to figure out in just which decade the disc had been recorded, based on much of the rest of the material here, including tunes written by the Stanley Brothers, Jim and Jesse and A.P. Carter.

When the potent combination of King¦s, Connell¦s and Rigsby¦s voices converge on the chorus of the album¦s title track, the spine-tingling results should be enough to clear up any questions you might have concerning what bluegrass music is all about. Passionate, vigorous and spiritual, This is essential listening.