Jim Mills
Hide Head Blues

(Sugar Hill)

First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2005, Volume 12, #10

Written by John Metzger

Breezing through 12 songs in 35 minutes, Jim Mills showcases the dynamic range of the banjo on Hide Head Blues, his third solo effort. Accompanied by a cast of supporting musicians that includes bass player Barry Bales, guitarist Union Station's Dan Tyminski, fiddlers Stuart Duncan and Andy Leftwich, and mandolin player Adam Steffey, Mills employs a quartet of vintage instruments that were manufactured during the 1930s and 1940s, and he utilizes the peculiarities of each to shape his material. Regardless of whether one is interested in the nuances of his Gibson Mastertone collection, however, the music contained on the album exudes the joy and love that he brought to the project, and recorded in a mere three days, the outing perfectly captures the vibrant atmosphere of the fun-filled jam session. Whether transforming Merle Haggard’s I Started Loving You Again into a laid-back instrumental groove, seeking salvation on the gospel-hued Standing in the Need of Prayer, or steaming through Earl Scruggs’ Pick Along, Mills and his pals offer a delightfully satisfying journey through an array of country and bluegrass standards.

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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