#freshgrass

Song Review: Aoife O’Donovan - “All My Friends” (Live, 2023)

First, there’s the unaccompanied purity of Aoife O’Donovan’s voice.

Then come the Westerlies’ muted horns, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus’ vocals, a chamber orchestra and a rock ‘n’ roll rhythm section as “All My Friends” takes flight over FreshGrass 2023.

Professionally recorded and just released, the performance video is staggering in its aural beauty and concise telling of the struggle to move Tennessee to make the 19th Amendment the law of the land.

As the opening notes suggest, O’Donovan could sing “All My Friends” a cappella and leave listeners slackjawed. That she was able to add so much without leaving the song overly busy, makes this performance all the more beguiling.

Grade card: Aoife O’Donovan - “All My Friends” (Live, 2023) - A+

Song Review: Sam Grisman Project - “Rubin and Cherise” (Live)

The Sam Grisman Project nailed the Jerry Garcia Band’s “Rubin and Cherise” at FreshGrass 2023.

It’s out on pro-shot video and finds the SGP seamlessly transitioning the JGB number to an acoustic environment of mandolin, guitar, bass and percussion played through mics rather than amps.

Whether through groupthink or shared buzzes - or both - the four musicians are totally in synch even as each seems to be doing his own thing. It’s as enjoyable visually as aurally as the players get lost in the music, then come together, locked in tight, for a reworked arrangement of the original’s keyboard-centric coda.

Grade card: Sam Grisman Project - “Rubin and Cherise” (Live) - A

Song Review(s): Aoife O’Donovan - “Nebraska” and “Passengers” (Salt Lick Sessions, Sept. 24, 2022)

Aoife O’Donovan delivers Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” so gently - so seemingly innocently - it makes the thought of getting caught up in a killing spree a little less awful.

The serene songstress/diabolical serial killer juxtaposition in O’Donovan’s rendering is mesmerizing - just astonishing. And it proves listeners have got to key in to the lyrics of any song, lest it be misunderstood.

(“Born in the U.S.A,” anyone?)

The solo-acoustic performance during O’Donovan’s Sept. 24 Salt Lick Session at FreshGrass was released alongside a full-band take on “Passengers,” from her recent Age of Apathy LP.

This isn’t as strong as other live versions out there as the band takes a little while to synch up. But when you’re following that “Nebraska,” that’s completely relatable.

Grade card: Aoife O’Donovan - “Nebraska” and “Passengers” (Salt Lick Sessions -9/24/22) - A+/B

Song Review: Sierra Ferrell - “Fox Hunt” (Live at FreshGrass 2022)

Sierra Ferrell also plays fiddle.

A pretty mean fiddle at that.

Ferrell brought out the bluegrass violin for “Fox Hunt” at FreshGrass 2022, playing alongside her full-time fiddler, Josie Toney, guitarist and mandolin man.

It’s a vehicle for audience participation with wordless call-and-response and stompin’-and-hollerin’ baked right in.

“Fox Hunt” slays, even on amateur, multi-camera footage such as this.

Grade card: Sierra Ferrell - “Fox Hunt” (Live at FreshGrass 2022) - A

Song Review: Sarah Jarosz - “Unwed Fathers” (Live)

As the audience rewarded her with applause, Sarah Jarosz shared some of gratitude of her own:

“Thank you, John Prine,” she said after performing his “Unwed Fathers” at FreshGrass 2021; a pro-shot video of which is now available.

If Prine were here today, he might also thank Jarosz. For her tender, country-and-western version of his song is a heart-wrenching success, awash as it is in steel and featuring the singer playing a bracing solo on her octave mandolin.

It’s not a sound Jarosz dabbles in often. But she’s obviously entirely at home in it; just as she is with singing Prine’s words.

It’s masterful.

Grade card: Sarah Jarosz - “Unwed Fathers” (Live) - A+

Song Review: Down on the Porch feat. Aoife O’Donovan - “Who’ll Stop the Rain” (Live, FreshGrass 2019)

A riddle:

What do you get when you take an all-star bluegrass band led by banjoist Alison Brown and electric bassist Garry West, add a Creedence Clearwater Revival number and get a smooth-voiced female singer to deliver John Fogerty’s raspy vocals?

A duck-billed platypus of a song.

Brown, West and friends, performing at FreshGrass 2019 as the CCR tribute Down on the Porch, recruited Aoife O’Donovan to sing “Who’ll Stop the Rain.” The resulting performance is tentative, under-rehearsed and, despite some sun, is one of those in-the-moment things that that doesn’t bring much heat, even on professional video.

Grade card: Down on the Porch feat. Aoife O’Donovan - “Who’ll Stop the Rain” (Live, FreshGrass 2019) - C+

Song Review: I’m With Her - “See You Around” (Live, 2018)

I’m With Her make perfection seem effortless.

Performing “See You Around” on a just-released, pro-shot video from FreshGrass 2018, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan sing in literally perfect harmony as ukulele and two acoustic guitars lay down the melody.

It’s flawless. And they don’t even appear to be trying all that hard.

Grade card: I’m With Her - “See You Around” (Live, 2018) - A