NEW ALBUM: RUN THIS TOWN
Pre-order a CD now in the store. Available everywhere July 17th
Digital Pre-Save/Add here: https://clg.lnk.to/af-RunThisTown
“This album is pretty eclectic,” notes Ashby Frank — before adding, “as far as Bluegrass records go anyway.” And indeed, it’s a rare bluegrass album that covers the bases from foundational figures like Jimmy Martin and Bill Monroe to the Foo Fighters and Amy Winehouse. Even so, Run This Town — his second collection for Mountain Home Music Company now available for pre-save/add ahead of its July 17 release — has an organic feel to it that reflects the artist’s natural eclecticism and his ability to refract the essence of each song through the instrumentation that has helped to define bluegrass for the 80 years it’s been around.
Sure enough, there’s plenty of straightforward bluegrass on Run This Town, from the opening tip of the hat to Bill Monroe (and old-time legend Kirk McGee) in Frank’s chart-topping rendition of “Blue Night,” through the IBMA award-winning take on the late Terry Baucom’s “Knee Deep In Bluegrass” to the blistering tempo of “Everybody’s Got Their Nine Pound Hammer.” Yet there’s more, too — not only ‘grass-flavored reimaginings of the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender,” Mark Knopfler’s “The Bug” and Winehouse’s “Valerie,” but a trio of songs that reflect Frank’s appreciation of the strong melodies and vivid lyrics found in the best of country and Americana, including Leigh Nash and Connie Harrington’s spellbinding “God Gave Me Horses,” Jared Tyler’s undeservedly obscure “She Believes,” and Frank’s own title track.
Written with up-and-coming tunesmith Jack McKeon, “Run This Town” is a country classic in the making, offering a carefully drawn portrait of faded dreams and quiet disappointments over a gently swaying rhythm and moody pedal steel guitar from ace session player Steve Hinson, that underlines Frank’s keen eye and ability to get to the heart of an observation.
“I always set out to make recordings that are a picture of what I like listening to,” Ashby Frank reveals, “where I’ve been, and hopefully, where I’m headed. I think this album does that, and I’m so extremely proud of it.”
