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Full Circle - Marty Raybon |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
You may not know his name but you surely know his voice. Marty Raybon is the former front man for the band Shenandoah, and also was a duo with his brother Tim. After his career in both those groups, Marty embarked on a solo career, first as a gospel artist, then a country artist and now a bluegrass artist.
Throughout his entire career endeavors one thing has been constant: Marty Raybon's sterling voice. Always pitch perfect, there are only a few other male vocalists who possess a tenor voice as fine as Marty's. In addition to his classy vocal ability, Marty also has an uncanny ability to pick charming and enchanting songs that fit his voice well.
After his duo with his brother failed to spark any hit songs besides "Butterfly Kisses," Marty then signed as the only artist for a new indie label called Tri-Chord Records. While the album was very well done and well-received by critics it failed to ignite much interest at radio or in the stores and the label closed its doors. In the middle of 2002, Marty approached a few labels with the idea of doing a Bluegrass record and the small but potent new label Doobie Shea Records, Home to Dan Tyminski of "O Brother" fame, took the bait.
The fruit from the partnership is the album titled Full Circle. What most people don't know is that Marty Raybon first started his career out as a bluegrass picker, like Ricky Skaggs did, and left it to achieve fame and fortune only to return back to the music he loved as a kid. Hence we get the title Full Circle.
The opening track is the Flatt & Scruggs "Down The Road." from the fine picking that's immediately evident within the framework of this classic record, bluegrass and traditional fans are in for a treat. The band throughout the album includes legends within the modern bluegrass community, Rob Ickes on Dobro, Byron Sutton on Guitar and Mandolin and David Talbot on Banjo. The lyrics are about a special girl "down the road" who's the "prettiest thing in (the) town" and how he goes to her.
While it is almost five minutes long, an eternity for a bluegrass song, "Everything" is notable for a couple of things. First, it was written by Marty himself, with help from Barry Hutchens and Mark Narmore. This song is also a beautiful duet with Lyric Street Records chanteuse Sonya Isaacs. Why she isn't a star yet is beyond me. This beautiful song about how much two people love each other is a track that could be a wedding staple if it ever became a hit single.
"Rocky Road Blues" is a classic song written by the father of bluegrass Bill Monroe. Since I don't proclaim a historical knowledge of bluegrass, the song is "new" to me. I do have to say that Marty does a fine job with the song and it is a wonderful blues song about losing someone.
"All In The Hands Of Jesus" is beautiful ballad about the power of faith through the harshest of times. With a sound similar to "when you say nothing at all" at times, the song refreshingly marries two old-time favorites together, bluegrass and gospel, like they have been done before.
Those who remember the Shenandoah hit "Next To You, Next To Me" will be happy to hear its inclusion on this record. A Billboard No. 1 hit in 1990, the song sounds refreshingly new with the bluegrass acoustic treatment it is given here. If it were released as a single it could do well again in this incarnation.
One of my all time favorite songs is the somber Hugh Prestwood written "Ghost In This House." The fact that Marty has re-recorded it again for this album is a pleasant surprise for me. This song has always sounded as if it were poetry set to music and the fact that it is now recorded as an acoustic ballad fits the lyrics much better. Marty sounds as good as always on the track as well.
"Webster's Definition" is a cute little track about being the "Webster's definition" of a person with a lonesome heart who is "yearning for the comforts of home." It is a song about a "fish out of water" living in a city who decided he needs to go back home.
With a stellar backing band, which includes brother Tim Raybon and Paul Brewster on vocals, Marty Raybon and has produced a wonderful collection of songs that fit his sterling tenor vocals like a glove? Bluegrass and Marty Raybon is a match made in Heaven and this is a record that deserves to be heard. Those who love the traditional sounds will absolutely love Marty Raybon's Full Circle. Album cover courtesy of Doobie Shea.
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