Already fixtures on the bluegrass scene for years as members of Doyle Lawson and Rhonda Vincent's bands, Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent met at the IBMA Bluegrass Awards in Louisville, KY in 2001 and by 2008 the duo had released their self-titled debut album and swept up seven IBMA Awards. Following an album deemed by many as a classic album (and one of the music worlds best releases of the year) is often hard to do yet with “Brothers From Different Mothers,” the duo actually have not only avoided the dreaded sophomore slump but they’ve also managed to make a record that may be even better. Included with the music are expansive liner-notes that chronicle 2008 along with a great historical lesson (written by Fred Bartenstein) on “The Brother Duet Phenomenon” and how it has survived and thrived in Bluegrass circles despite being all but phased out of mainstream country.
“Brothers From Different Mothers kicks-off with the absolutely fabulous bluegrass workout “Head Hung Down.” This ‘barn-burning’ track features the great Harold Reid (of the Statler Brothers) singing bass vocals while the duo and their band play an absolutely astonishing piece of Bluegrass music. The duo’s beautiful harmonies absolutely shine on the Roger Miller classic country song “You Oughta Be Here With Me.” High-lonesome harmony has rarely sounded better than it does when Daily Vincent sing the gospel classic “When I’ve Traveled My Last Mile.”
The Statler Brother’s “Years Ago” was a hit for the legendary quartet in 1982 and feels refreshed in its renewed version as a bluegrass/country song. The vocal harmonies on the chorus are still very “Statler-like” but that only makes it feel unique and fresh in Bluegrass circles. Jaime Dailey wrote a pair of songs for this record and one of them is “Girl In The Valley.” With a lonesome lyric of regret, the song’s true highlight is the instrumental break-down in the chorus. “Please Don’t Let Our Sweet Love Die” sounds like a song that could’ve been a hit on the Country charts years ago. It is a new song but feels like a classic country song.
Written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in 1998, the duet lyric and harmony of “Winter’s Come And Gone” feels as classic as something from days gone by while a pair of gospel tunes in “When I Reach That home Up There” and “On The Other Side” round out this remarkable record. “When I Reach” is the second of new songs written by Dailey for this album and the song has a traditional bluegrass quartet vocal style and inspired pickin’ throughout while “On The Other Side” is one of the most emotional and truly sad Bluegrass tracks I’ve heard in a long time. In an unusual move for a Bluegrass group, Dailey & Vincent brought a string quartet into the studio to enhance the emotional melody and lyric of the song, which was written by Jimmy Fortune, Kevin Denney and Tom Bodkin. It’s an elegant way to end what will likely be the best bluegrass album released this year.
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