Published in Bluegrass Unlimited, February 2005. Used with permission.
Steve Day
It’s All About Fiddlin’
No Label
Steve Day has put out a real throwback recording with It’s All About Fiddlin’ and that’s a compliment. With a collection of classic bluegrass vocals like Say Won’t You Be Mine and Can’t You Hear Me Calling, gospel favorites like Back to the Cross and Going to Make Heaven My Home and a nice mix of traditional fiddle tunes like Sugar in the Gourd and Two O’Clock, this is recording that could have been done any time in the past 20 or 30 years. It sounds old but feels fresh. That it stands out today reminds us of a couple of important things — that the best tunes and great playing are timeless and worthy of celebration, and that it’s good to remember the classics as long as we don’t find ourselves only looking backwards.
Day calls on his bandmates from Continental Divide — David Parmley, Dale Perry and Randy Graham — and other luminaries like Mike Compton and Missy Raines lend a hand but the music is still driven by the Day’s exceptional fiddle work. The recording quality is top-notch and the performances are every bit what you would expect from such seasoned professionals. It’s bluegrass music the way many of us first heard it, and that’s a welcome reminder of what we love about it.
Steve Day, 1360 Saturn Way, Bowling Green, KY 42104