Papertown (Mountain Home Music Company MH-14042) was released on 7 August 2012. The band, formed in 2007 in Haywood County, North Carolina, recorded it at Crossroads Studios in Arden, North Carolina, as a quintet: Caleb Smith on guitar, Marc Pruett on banjo, Darren Nicholson on mandolin, Buddy Melton on fiddle and Tim Surrett on bass, with Surrett also playing resonator guitar. Balsam Range produced it, with Chris White and Mickey Gamble as executive producers.
The title song, written by Milan Miller, honors the paper-mill town of Canton, North Carolina. Miller also wrote “Other Side of the Mountain,” “Day in the Life of a Railroad Spike” and “I Ain’t Leavin’.” Marc Pruett co-wrote “Any Old Road (Will Take You There)” with Jerry Salley and Carl Jackson, and the covers include Chris Stapleton and Michael Henderson’s “Better Days,” Jimmie Skinner’s “Born Ramblin’ Man,” Roy Acuff’s “The Streamlined Cannonball” and, with Surrett on lead vocal, “One Way Out,” credited to Elmore James, Marshall Sehorn and Sonny Boy Williamson. Melton, Smith and Nicholson share the leads on the rest.
Papertown spent five consecutive months as the number-one album on bluegrass radio, and it won the IBMA Album of the Year award in 2013.
Tracklist
- 1 Other Side Of The Mountain 2:56
- 2 Any Old Road (Will Take You There) 3:26
- 3 Wide River To Cross 4:01
- 4 Day In the Life Of A Raliroad Spike 2:43
- 5 Better Days 3:42
- 6 Born Ramblin' Man 2:46
- 7 Row By Row 2:35
- 8 Building The Fire 2:38
- 9 One Way Out 4:15
- 10 I Ain't Leavin' 3:19
- 11 I Could Do You Some Good 2:49
- 12 Papertown 3:29
- 13 The Streamlined Cannonball alt version 2:20
