Album: Born To Play / Davidson Brothers /  Bluegrass - Country

 

Reviewed by Cheryl Phipps

 

Just as the album title advises, Australian bluegrass - country music artists the Davidson Brothers were Born to Play, and play they do on their current album. They exude a the youthfulness of many of today’s new crop of bluegrass bands, as the Davidson Brothers play fast and hard, while mixing in plenty of drums and percussion.  They are backed by a superb group of musicians and vocalists including, guitarists Bryan Sutton and Randy Kohrs (also dobro), Kevin Grant (upright bass) and drummer / percussionist Kenny Malone, who serve up first class performances with songs such as; the title track “Born To Play,” “Life’s Gonna Have a Little Talk,” “Fox On The Freeway,” and a cover of the Bill Monroe classic “My Sweet Blue-Eyed Darlin’.”

 

Bluegrass aficionados will often say that it takes a certain type of voice to sing these types of tunes and Lachlan Davidson demonstrates that he has the vocals to do so, as he recreates the uniquely recognizable timbre and mood of bluegrass singers from the mountains of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

 

Hamish Davidson, who doubles on banjo and fiddle for the album Born To Play will steal your heart with his fiddling on “Le Bout Du Monde,” is a toe tapping instrumental, with the title seeming to pay homage to living "back and beyond," near the southern tip of Australia.  Hamish Davidson's fiddle, along with Lachlan on mandolin and Jeff Taylor on piano accordion, take us to the end of the earth.  With the addition of an upright bass, acoustic guitars, dobro and drums, and we are bouncing across time and geography. Davidson’s fiddle is showcased once again, as he also adds vocals to “Everyday,” a bluesy, swinging number that features his brother Lachlan on the mandolin.

 

The Davidson Brothers are not strictly a bluegrass band and in fact have won numerous country music awards in Australia during the past decade and the lyrical content of many of their songs will strike a chord with Americans in the southern states, as they sing about country roads, learning to drive, bull riding and of course finding the right woman and then losing her.

 

During the ballad “A Showman’s Life,” Lachlan Davidson croons about the tough side of a musician’s life, out on the road, as he sings, “nobody told me about this part,” with raw emotion that tugs at the listener’s heart. Rich vocal harmonies contribute to the success of “I’ll Leave My Door Open,” and searing guitars drive “Harden Up,” another country tune. Rounding out the country tracks are the songs “Lights On The Hill,” and “Lucky.”

 

Born To Play is a picker’s dream, with an acoustic orchestra that bluegrass, country and folk music fans have been yearning for, for a long time. Nobody needs to tell you about that part, you will figure it out on your first listen.

 

 

Reviewed March 2010

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