Darkest Hour

Darkest Hour offers further proof that Leigh and Eric Gibson – deemed Entertainers of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2012 and 2013 – are among the finest and most versatile bluegrass artists working today. From the back holler lilt of ‘What a Difference a Day Makes’ and soulful potency of ‘I Go Driving’ to the heart-wrenching country twang of ‘Your Eyes Say His Name’ and rocking poignancy of ‘This Good Day’, each of the dozen tracks on Darkest Hour exude that rare and unmistakable quality that signals that this is the real deal.

The album was produced in two sessions, each a year apart, by perennial Grammy-winning dobro maestro Jerry Douglas (Alison Krauss & Union Station, Steep Canyon Rangers). The first six tracks, completed just as COVID-19 was shutting down the world, feature standard bluegrass accompaniment by the Gibson Brothers (vocals, guitars), Douglas (resonator guitar) and Nashville session veterans Mike Barber (bass), Justin Moses (mandolin) and Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle). On the second half of Darkest Hour, John Gardner (drums), Guthrie Trapp (electric guitar) and Todd Parks (bass) impart a distinctly harder, electric edge to the finished product. The result is a stylistically diverse showcase for the Gibson Brothers’ next-level expertise.