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I first heard of Stacy Grubb several years ago, not
long after I started internet broadcasting. She had been singing in her
fathers band "Alan Johnston & South 52" where she honed her talents as a
vocalist and songwriter. She's a beautiful young songbird who's ready to
fly as high as the skies will allow. Her first CD project... "Hurricane",
will prove that she has both the wings and the strength to get her
soaring.
When reading the liner notes one can't escape the impressive cast of
musicians that helped bring Stacy's songs come alive.... with names like
Rob Ikes, Ron Block, and Aubrey Haynie a person would think this CD was
going to be a bluegrass project, far from it though. Bluegrass is there,
along with the sounds of country, mountain, folk, ect. No set genre for
this gal and as far as I'm concerned she should not be confined to one.
Just GREAT music on each track.
The title cut for the CD is "Hurricane", and upbeat tune written by
Stacy's father Alan "Cathead" Johnston and is also on Alan's CD "Sweet
Appalachia". (For those who remember the early years of Mel Street you
might remember Alan, he also backed up Crystal Gail, John Anderson, and
Stella Parton to name just a few so he's no stranger to the musical
business.)
Stacy grabs your attention right away with a strong commanding vocal
presence that keeps you glued til the end, a great choice for an opening
song but the best is yet to come... Heck with Stacy's singing you
don't even realize who's singing harmony on Hurricane... It's none other
than Jamie Daley and Darrin Vincent!
I had started this review out to be simple, but it grew to a song by song
'book' that I just had to condense into this..
The songs Stacy wrote and selected for the cd are stories of mountain
life, love and sorrow, each distinct and powerful. If you close your eyes
you can imagine yourself as being part of each song. They come alive and
draw you into them. When the songs end you're wishing they would
continue.
Some of my personal favorites include "Baby Dear", "Let It Go", "West
Virginia Wildflower", and "I Wonder Where You Are"... all written by
Stacy. In fact, of the 12 songs recorded on "Hurricane", Stacy wrote 9 of
them.
Stacy Grubb can mesmerize you with with her soulful tenor voice as well as
with her genuine smile. She is as real as they come, and growing up in
southern WV you can bet she can take care of herself too. I honestly
feel that we'll be hearing more from Stacy in the years to come.
Bear in mind that this album is not a "Bluegrass" cd, you will hear drums,
strings and even an occasional electric guitar. All done tastefully
so that even some of the traditional bluegrass/country lovers will find it
appealing.
If you're a "Music from the Heart" lover, you won't want to pass this
album up. It's available directly from Stacy's website at
www.stacygrubb.com
~Roger Randolph - May 2009
Host of “The Bluegrass Express”
The Bluegrass Mix
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