True Grass Again (Pinecastle PRC 1219) was released on 10 August 2018, more than three years after Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road’s previous album. Jordan and Wes Easter produced it. The eleven tracks are built around Jordan on mandolin, Ben Greene on banjo and Will Jones on guitar, with twin fiddles from Josh Goforth and Matt Hooper on some songs; bass is played by Terry Smith on some tracks and Jason Moore on others, and Brad Hudson adds Dobro to several. Randy Graham sings lead on “I Don’t Want to Lose You,” “Poor Monroe” and “Pickin’ Rock Out of the Bluegrass.” Goforth leads “Another Soldier,” Greene leads “Preaching Praying Singing,” and Troy Pope and Hudson each take a lead. “Cherokee Shuffle” is an instrumental. The release notes identify “Pickin’ Rock Out of the Bluegrass” as a tribute to Don Day, promoter of the Starvey Creek bluegrass festival in Missouri.
The lead single, “True Grass,” was written by C. David Stewart and asks, “Why can’t bluegrass just be true grass again?” Tommy Long, Junior Sisk and Danny Paisley sing the leads, with Jordan and Graham on harmony; the label said it marked Long’s return after a battle with throat cancer. Jordan has called the title cut part of a “True Grass Movement,” the band’s commitment to keeping traditional bluegrass alive. By March 2019 the single had spent four consecutive months at No. 1 on the Bluegrass Unlimited National Airplay Survey.
Tracklist
- 1 True Grass 3:02
- 2 I Don’t Want to Lose You 2:30
- 3 Run Little Fox 2:42
- 4 Poor Monroe 2:37
- 5 Another Soldier 3:10
- 6 Pickin’ Rock Out of the Bluegrass 3:12
- 7 Preaching, Praying, Singing alt version 1:52
- 8 Little Country Home 3:23
- 9 Portrait of the Blues 2:35
- 10 I Hear Angels Calling Your Name 3:41
- 11 Cherokee Shuffle alt version 3:39
