The Gibson Brothers’ new release, Iron & Diamonds, debuted at #5 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Charts its first week of release in April. Their refined vocals certainly helped drive this album to the top, along with the polished instrumentals courtesy of their wonderful band.
Great duos are powerful not because the individuals sound similar to each other, but because they have something unique in each voice that complements the other. In the case of the Gibson Brothers, it’s Leigh’s warmer tones and Eric’s high-lonesome intensity that create a great double-stop fiddle sound, a blending of experience and emotion that all great brother duets have.
Their decision to record their vocals together really paid off. If you want to hear a song that could easily pass for an Everly Brothers hit, listen to “Lonely Me, Lonely You.” And the Steve Earle song “The Other Side of Town,” sounds like it was written specifically for the Gibsons. “Picker’s Blues” is one of the few bluegrass songs that actually gets to the truth about life on the road. And “One Step Closer to the Grave” echoes the great bluegrass songs of sin and salvation. The Gibsons never flinch from the truth that a song reveals, and the listener feels that too. Every word seems necessary and just right.
The Gibson Brothers’ band includes Mike Barber on bass, Clayton Campbell on Fiddle, and Rick Hayes on Mandolin. And for this recording, former Gibson Brothers’ dobroist Junior Barber makes a guest appearance, and their sister Erin sings on the concluding gospel song, a Bill Carlisle gem, “Gone Home.” All the players on this album have spent time on the road with the brothers, have learned how to play to the song and to the vocals, and it shows. The playing can be loving or fiery according to the songs’ demands. With Iron & Diamonds, the Gibson Brothers have given us their music straight-up—no pretence, no guile—just great songs, a seasoned band, and brother vocals that go right to the heart.
LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THIS EVENT:
KFVS12 Business Break, July 25, 2008
River Campus News, June 17, 2008
The Gibson Brothers can be found online at www.gibsonbrothers.com
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