Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen "Hold On"
Solivan wrote or co-wrote 6 of the 11 tracks.
"I was going through the hardest time of my life leading up to the pandemic," Solivan said. "And then the world stopped. Exploring some of the subject matter and song ideas that came out of those difficult times led me to these songs. Songs that helped bring me out of a seemingly hopeless situation. Finding light where there was darkness and trying to relay some of my journey of figuring out how to 'hold on.' My hope is that the listener will be able to relate and will have these songs to help them get through difficult times."
Dirty Kitchen includes banjo man Mike Munford, guitarist Chris Luquette and bassist Jeremy Middleton. The group covers Newgrass Revival's, "Sail to Australia" (featuring NGR's bassist John Cowan on harmony vocals), Buzz Busby's "Lost" and Orleans' "Sail."
The upbeat tracks "I'm Already Gone" and "Hold On," which open the album, were written by Solivan in about 15 minutes right before the recording session.
The track list is:
"I'm Already Gone"
"Hold On"
"Goodbye Goodbye"
"Find My Way"
"Modesto"
"Scorchin' The Gravy"
"Queen Of The Mountain"
"Virginia Is For Lovers"
"Lost"
"Sail To Australia"
"Sails"
CD reviews for Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen
Washington, D.C. bandleader Frank Solivan appears to be very aware of the gradual vagaries of his bluegrass world. "Cold Spell" is a clean sounding, polished modern bluegrass album. It goes a bit far out on the branches, but maintains the energy and woody tones of more traditional bluegrass.
"Cold Spell" has at its core strong songwriting ideally balanced with exceptional instrumentation, powerful lead vocals and precise and uplifting vocal harmony. A cover of Pure Prairie ...
Modern bluegrass can sometimes be a sanitized affair, with crystal clean recordings and slick arrangements taking most of the soul out of the mountain songs and traditional origins of the music. Frank Solivan isn't a raw Stanley Brothers style performer, but he has left enough grit and substance in his music to keep it far away from mainstream mediocrity.
Solivan's main instrument is the mandolin, and there are plenty of moments here where he shines on solos and runs, but the focus is ...
With so many 'new' bluegrass acts comprised of shuffled decks drawn out of other bands, it is refreshing to find a solid release from a combo consisting of a quartet of pickers not well known outside their respective hometowns or instrumental specialties. Solivan's the name on the sleeve, so it is his clear-eyed vocal that takes center stage on a set of songs that eschew traditional favorites for new originals from the band members and their close friends.
Instrumentally, Mike ...
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