Sake of the Sound

Front Country were formed in 2011 by some of San Francisco's finest young bluegrass and acoustic roots players – Adam Roszkiewicz (mandolin), Jacob Groopman (guitar, vocal), Jordan Klein (banjo, vocal), Leif Karlstrom (fiddle), Melody Walker (lead vocal, guitar) and Zach Sharpe (bass, banjo). They have spent the last few years dazzling audiences on the festival circuits. Their debut album, Sake of the Sound, is a beguiling mix of original and adapted material drawn from the sextet's sonorous inclinations, which run the gamut from newgrass, chamber-folk and high country to Doc Watson, Bob Dylan and gospel jubilee.

Produced by Kai Welch, who has worked with Abigail Washburn, Sake of the Sound resonates with a level of palpable energy that studio recordings rarely attain. The boys in the band strut their instrumental stuff to great effect but without Melody Walker's vocals, Front Country is just another finely honed, intrinsically listenable bluegrass outfit. She is the star of the show, and her rich, deep contralto voice brings emotional depth and expressive nuance to everything from ‘Rock Salt & Nails’, a deftly paced, bitter lover's lament, to ‘Colorado’, an exultantly swinging reverie on the region's mountainous terrain.