Blue Lightning, released in 1991 on Rounder (CD 0284), is Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin's second Rounder album and the middle entry in their five-album duet run. Stecher (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Brislin (vocals/guitar) lead a vocal-duet-driven sweep across traditional Americana — bluegrass, old-time, blues, gospel, and honky-tonk — joined by Pete Wernick on banjo and Laurie Lewis on bass. The sibling-style harmony at the record's center, particularly on tracks like "Blue Diamond Mines," became a touchstone for the 1990s women-led traditional revival that ran through Hazel Dickens, Alice Gerrard, and Laurie Lewis. The recording's spare, vocal-forward aesthetic positioned Stecher and Brislin as the Bay Area's most articulate spokespeople for traditional country song.
Tracklist
- 1 Still (My Thoughts Go Back To You) 4:11
- 2 A Lonesome Night alt version 3:21
- 3 Lonesome Road Blues alt version 2:28
- 4 Sitting on Top of the World alt version 2:39
- 5 Elkhorn Ridge 3:18
- 6 Old Pal Of Yesterday 4:41
- 7 Country Blues 4:24
- 8 Blue Diamond Mines alt version 5:19
- 9 Adieu False Heart 3:48
- 10 Polly Ann 2:40
- 11 Stepstones 3:12
- 12 Just A Few More Days 3:40