James Justin and Co., a trio made up of singer James Justin Burke, Bailey Horsley on Banjo and John Kennedy on Bass. Southern Son, So Far, their debut album, is a simple, middle of the road album that straddles the line between Bluegrass and Americana Country. In an increasingly single oriented, I-Pod age, this is an old fashioned album, meant to be listened to as a whole rather than in pieces. Burke offers a pleasant cohesion and simplicity that fits well with the folksy aesthetic of his lyrics. The melodies flow into each other for a CD that creates a mood, evoking the warm and slightly lazy comfort of a summer evening on a back porch. There is a hint of a bygone era, but it is one where barefoot mothers watch their playing children in bell bottom jeans or hemp skirts. Southern Son, So Far is an engaging debut album that bodes well for the future of this trio.

The album opens with "In The Garden," a pragmatic love song where James Justin Burke (Jupiter's Garden) invites a potential love interest to “plant your seeds in my back yard,” where they can have years of love and profound conversations. Ben Bridwell, from The Band of Horses, lends heavenly harmony vocals to "The Rescue." The roots rock of "Free Love" is tempered and brought back to the same mountain country as the rest of the album by Bailey Horsley's banjo. The fusion of banjo, mandolin and harmonies on "Count On Me" harken back to The Clinch Mountain Boys. Jesse Pritchard's haunting violin blends with Howard Dlugasch's organ, creating an almost Gothic back drop for one of the albums most striking tracks, "Just a Dream." “Won't take me back to good old days, where the sun and rain, shine and fall on you,” the trio sing on "I Know You Will," a gently swaying ballad that is reminiscent of Old Crow Medicine Show's early work. "You're Not Alone" plays almost like an old fashioned hymn with gentle harmonies and a slow build from a simple banjo to a full instrumental choir. Turn This Thing Around is a sprightly song about finding strength and hope in a community, which find Burke hoping “one by one we're gonna get up off the ground, two by two we're gonna make each other proud, three by three we're gonna turn this thing around.” The album closes with the strongest track, "Chaser Boy," a song that explores Burke's search for truth while pulling from the bluegrass and gospel themes of the album.

Southern Son, So Far is, by and large, a quiet album with straightforward songs and simple arrangements. On such tracks as "The Rescue" and "Turn This Thing Around," this simplicity is quite delightful. Unfortunately, with such sparsity, the whole album melds into a sameness that makes it hard for individual tracks to stand out. While this does make Southern Son, So Far a pleasing album to listen to, it also makes the album just a bit generic. While the more memorable tracks on album tend to lean towards the roots rock and gospel side of the band, the bluegrass features some of the most enjoyable banjo this side of Mumford and Sons. So here's hoping that James, Justin and Co give us more albums that cater to both sides of their musical muse.

You can support this band by purchasing their album at Amazon | iTunes.