Adrienne Young & Little Sadie
The Art of Virtue

(Addiebelle)

First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2005, Volume 12, #8

Written by John Metzger

With Ben Franklin’s The Virtues of Man serving as her inspiration, Adrienne Young transforms her sophomore effort The Art of Virtue into a loosely-knit, 15-track collection about ethical enlightenment and character development. Although each song is shaded with varying degrees of bluegrass-hued texture, Young and her magnificent backing band — which includes guitarist Will Kimbrough and fiddle player Eric Merrill, among others — refuse to be pigeonholed. Instead, the ensemble defies the odds and builds a stunning suite of immediately familiar, but wholly original, roots-oriented music that perfectly straddles the line between contemporary and nostalgic sounds. Indeed, the collective doesn’t miss a beat as it swerves from traditional gospel (Farther Along) to anti-war statements (It’s All the Same), and from bluegrass-tinged murder ballads (Rastus Russell) to Cajun-infused country grooves (Wedding Ring). By the time the group settles into the gentle purity of the Grateful Dead’s Brokedown Palace, Young has proven without a doubt that she not only is one of the most promisingly unique voices to emerge from Nashville in quite some time, but also that one doesn’t have to be a supporter of President Bush to embrace a strong set of moral values. ½

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box