All American Bluegrass Girl
 | Rounder / UMGD, 2006, Audio CD Customer Rating: Recommend |
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Dubbed "The New Queen of Bluegrass" by The Wall Street Journal, Rhonda Vincent delivers a mature collection of hard-driving bluegrass and soothing ballads including three originals on 'All American Bluegrass Girl.' Six-time International Bluegrass Music Association "Female Vocalist of the Year," Vincent continues to create her traditional bluegrass music with a contemporary edge. Joined by her award-winning band The Rage, with very special guest appearances by gal pal Dolly Parton and bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne, this collection delivers fresh, exciting bluegrass from start to finish. Rhonda Vincent is the 'All American Bluegrass Girl.'
"All my life they told me 'you're pretty good for a girl,'" Rhonda Vincent sings on this album's title track — a sly dig at the notoriously patriarchal culture of bluegrass, and at critics who qualify her as a "female bluegrass singer." But like Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton (who adds harmony vocals to the rocking "Heartbreaker's Alibi"), Vincent is one of the elite artists in the genre — period. She's got the awards and Grammy nominations to prove it, but mostly she has her voice — a flawless, instantly recognizable instrument that releases all of the emotion from durable gospel standards like Roy Acuff's "Precious Jewel" and the more contemporary-styled "Forever Ain't That Long Anymore." And she's got her band, the Rage, who rip through train songs like "Rhythm of the Wheels" or instrumentals like "Ashes of Mt. Augustine," which serves to remind us what a hot mandolinist she can be. Along with the archetypal bluegrass themes of home, death, and country, Vincent also has current conflicts on her mind. She covers Byron Hill and Mike Dekle's "Till They Come Home," which captures the impact of war on military families, walking the line between patriotism and unquestioning nationalism. On "God Bless the Soldier," however, she crosses that line with a strained analogy between Christian and military sacrifice. But her sentiments are nothing if not genuine — and she's got the vocal and instrumental chops to bring those emotions all he way home. — Roy Kasten
More Rhonda Vincent
 Ragin' Live |  Dream Come True |  Trouble Free |
 The Storm Still Rages |  One Step Ahead |  Ragin' Live (DVD) |
- All American Bluegrass Girl
- Forever Ain't That Long Anymore
- Heartbreaker's Alibi
- God Bless the Soldier
- Rhythm of the Wheels
- Midnight Angel
- Till They Came Home
- Don't Act
- Jesus Built a Bridge to Heaven
- Prettiest Flower There
- Ashes of Mt. Augustine
- Precious Jewel
Title: All American Bluegrass Girl
Sales Rank: 19131 in Music
Artist: Rhonda Vincent
Label: Rounder / UMGD, 2006-05-23, Audio CD, 1 Disc
Item Dimensions: 0.22 pounds
Package Dimensions: 5.55 x 4.97 x 0.54 inches, 0.18 pounds
