Billy Strings – Me / And / Dad (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Billy Strings – Me / And / Dad (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 44:54 minutes | 943 MB | Genre: Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rounder

Recorded with his father Terry, ‘Me /and/Dad’ finds Billy exploring the songs that inspired him to become the breakout musician he is today, including songs popularized by Mac Weisman and Doc Watson. The record was produced by Billy and Gary Paczosa and features playing from Bluegrass stalwarts Ronnie and Rob McCoury, Michael Cleveland, and Mike Bub, along with special guest Jerry Douglas.

Me/And/Dad is an instant classic; you can simply feel that it’s an important record that will be essential in Billy Strings’ discography. The bluegrass protegé—né William Lee Apostol—teams up with his stepdad, accomplished guitarist Terry Barber, for a celebration of the songs they’ve played almost their whole life together, and a love letter to their father-son relationship. “Terry raised me and taught me how to wipe my ass, tie my shoes, and play guitar. That’s my fucking dad,” Billy has said. (Barber raised the acoustic guitarist from the time Billy was three, after the boy’s birth father died of a heroin overdose.) Their harmonies are chillingly perfect on tracks like “John Deere Tractor” (made famous by another familial duo, the Judds) and a spirited cover of Doc Watson’s “Way Downtown”—boosted by lightning fast-picking, a piercing fiddle solo by Michael Cleveland and yet another show of family ties: mandolinist Ronnie McCoury and banjo player Rob McCoury, the sons of towering bluegrass guitarist Del McCoury. Speaking of guitars, Barber plays his old Martin acoustic on the album; he had pawned it years ago for money to support his family, then Billy eventually tracked it down and brought it home. (“I’ve never been so dumbstruck in my life,” Barber has said.) Strings’ voice is as bracing as the water from a cold, clear stream on songs like “Dig a Little Deeper (In the Well),” while “Little White Church” showcases Barber’s rough-hewn beauty. “Wandering Boy” is a heartwrencher in his hands, given the knowledge that Billy, like his parents, once struggled with alcohol and drug abuse: “Where is my wandering boy tonight/ The boy of my tenderest care/ The boy that was once my joy and light/ The child of my love and prayer.” There are jailhouse laments (George Jones’ “Life to Go”; “Stone Walls and Steel Bars,” made famous by the Stanley Brothers), instrumentals (Celtic traditional “Frosty Morn” and a crisp, clean cover of Doc Watson’s “Peartree”) and, across-the-board, honey-rich dobro from Union Station legend Jerry Douglas. Opening traditional “Long Journey Home” has a tone as bright and shiny as a new penny, and closer “I Heard My Mother Weeping” expands the circle to include vocals from Billy’s mom and Barber’s wife, Debora, the one who really deserves credit for bringing together this unified pair. – Shelly Ridenour

Tracklist:

1-1. Billy Strings – Long Journey Home (02:57)
1-2. Billy Strings – Life To Go (03:06)
1-3. Billy Strings – Way Downtown (03:07)
1-4. Billy Strings – Little Blossom (03:11)
1-5. Billy Strings – Peartree (03:32)
1-6. Billy Strings – Stone Walls And Steel Bars (02:08)
1-7. Billy Strings – Little White Church (03:21)
1-8. Billy Strings – Dig A Little Deeper (In The Well) (03:13)
1-9. Billy Strings – Wandering Boy (03:40)
1-10. Billy Strings – John Deere Tractor (04:31)
1-11. Billy Strings – Frosty Morn (02:48)
1-12. Billy Strings – I Haven’t Seen Mary In Years (02:49)
1-13. Billy Strings – Little Cabin Home On The Hill (03:22)
1-14. Billy Strings – I Heard My Mother Weeping (03:04)

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