The Road With No End (Mountain Home, 2006)

When Sammy Shelor's hammers the opening banjo kickoff, he leaves no doubt this is Lonesome River. Despite the years of being on "the road with no end," the band that achieved prominence with Shelor, Dan Tyminski and Tim Austin and has had a number of personnel change through the years, continues to maintain the characteristic LRB sound. The "River Band," as they are often known in bluegrass circles, continues to play with their straightforward sound with a progressive edge, primarily due to the influence of Shelor, who has been the driving force for years.

The band does not break much new ground here, with heartbreak and prison songs typical of the genre, but all the work is done well, and with LRB's usual precision. "She's No Lady" was a neat new twist on an old subject, and new writer Micheal Burgess of FlintHill contributed a bluegrass blues number, "Brother To The Blues," that conjures up significant imagery of a suffering soul.

As one would expect from the Lonesome River Band, LRB continues to be recommended for the bluegrass fan that wants their music grounded in the tradition.