Reckless

What a shame that this band lost Chris Stapleton. Not only can the guy sing with more power and soul than just about anyone else in any music genre today, but he is apparently a great songwriter as well. He co-wrote most of the tunes in this collection with Steeldrivers guitarist/mandolinist Mike Henderson (who's no slouch himself). I liked the first Steeldrivers CD so much that I was sure "Reckless" would be a disappointment, but was I ever wrong. There's really not a bad cut on the CD, but standouts include "Peacemaker" and "Ghosts of Mississippi." Mike Henderson's bottleneck playing on a National steel combines perfectly with the rest of the band in kind of a Robert Johnson meets Bill Monroe sound that absolutely rocks! Tammy Rodgers on fiddle and harmony vocal and Richard Bailey on banjo are stellar as before. Rodgers' voice blends perfectly with Stapleton's and she favors bluesy sounding harmonies that really transform the songs. The banjo playing is also imaginative and...Read more

I came to the Steeldrivers through Mike Henderson's Bluebloods, a fabulous blues band which issued 'First Blood' and 'Thicker Than Water' in the late 1990s. Solos from Henderson's guitar and John Jarvis' piano always surprised and were never clichéd like so many others, and this from Nashville session musos! So, I checked Amazon recently to see if the Bluebloods had issued another album, and I found that Henderson had formed a rootsy bluegrass unit called The Steeldrivers. Soon after I discovered an excellent Rounder compilation called Sinner's Prayer and The Steeldrivers track 'If It Hadn't Been For Love' was in the prime second spot. I was impressed. Then, while down in Melbourne I found their initial CD in a second hand store, couldn't believe my luck! So I ordered Reckless through Amazon and I've been listening to it for a couple of weeks.

I thought the first album was great, but Reckless for my taste surpasses it. I like the addition of Henderson's earthy...Read more

This is bluegrass with an edge. I never listened to bluegrass before the SteelDrivers. Second release is even better than the first. The Steeldrivers The band is at the top of thier game here. Every song is a gem. You can find a little bit of every music style blended to perfection. No matter what you like to listen to, there is something here you will enjoy. The lead singer, Chris Stapleton has left the band, but check out his myspace page and his rock band The Jompson Brothers myspace page for a few more tasty treats. This guy is one hell of a story teller and his voice is second to none.