Cherryholmes III Don't Believe

 (15 customer reviews)

Cherryholmes is noted for their great bluegrass playing, showmanship, and solid harmony, but what makes this ce great is the improvement in their songwriting. They are getting away from just girl/boy falls in love and gets hurt to more complex lyrics as in "This is my Son" which reveals a symbiosis between Christ's sacrifice to Our Soldiers and Sailors. There is a new found maturity in noting that those we fight for don't always understand our sacrifice for their freedom. Yet, the love songs are very good too with varied melodies(something many songwriters fail to do and their songs all sound the same.)
As in all their Skaggs Cds the instruments are fast and furious and bring back the overdrive to bluegrass.

Pros: Cia's voice has matured, along with her songwriting ability.
B.J. has emerged as a force on the mandolin, allowing Molly to shine on fiddle.
There's a better balance of female/male vocals than "Black and White" had (in my opinion, and this is probably because my favorite singer in the group is Cia!)
The boy-girl war isn't so much in the forefront.

Cons: Cherryholmes has lost its wholesome, family-oriented vibe.
The one song on the CD that they didn't write (Devil in Disguise) didn't add.

By the way, the title "Don't Believe" catches you by surprise. . . until you get a good look at their faces on the cover! (The song is actually about not believing everything the world throws at you, not what you think at first glance.)

I never heard Cherryholmes music until I went to see one of their shows. They are a fantastic live band. They played almost every song off this album and I had to buy it. If you like the style of music, you'll appreciate this album. And if you get the chance, go see them live.