Hard Country (Rural Rhythm RUR 1100, 2012) is the second album from Audie Blaylock and Redline, featuring a refreshed lineup that includes Jesse Brock on mandolin, Russ Carson on banjo, Patrick McAvinue on fiddle, and Jason Moore on bass alongside Blaylock. The title signals the album's unambiguous commitment to hard-driving traditional bluegrass — the unadorned, forward-pushing style associated with the genre's classic period — without concession to commercial pop or progressive influences. Blaylock had established himself as one of the most consistent advocates for the conservative end of the contemporary bluegrass spectrum, and Hard Country delivers on that promise with original and traditional material played in the manner he had practiced since the band's debut. McAvinue's fiddle work, maturing into something exceptional, is a particular strength of the recording.
Tracklist
- 1 A Real Good Way To Lose 2:59
- 2 The Chair 2:47
- 3 Home Is Where The Heart Is 4:34
- 4 A Natural Thing 3:10
- 5 Philadelphia Lawyer alt version 2:46
- 6 14 Days 3:56
- 7 Stormy Horizons alt version 3:12
- 8 On The Road 2:30
- 9 A Grandmother's Love 3:34
- 10 Newton's Grove 2:23