Since then the band has toured with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, received an AMA award for emerging artists of the year, moved to Nashville, released four more albums, been nominated for a Grammy for “Mucky the Duck”, lost a fiddle player (Eamon McLoughlin), gained another fiddle player (Tyler Andal) and a guitarist (Carl Miner). The band is now taking pre-release orders for its sixth album, “Sweetheart of the Sun”, to be shipped in late August.

The songs focus on Carol Young’s ethereal vocals. There is still plenty of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and bass instrumental interplay featured. Several of the songs actually have an instrumental prelude and an instrumental postlude, like “Forever Mine” and “Black, Black Water” leaving a dreamlike effect to the whole album. “Ocean Floor” with its slow tempo, well placed cymbal flourishes, and slightly echoed vocals does a lot to add to that dreamlike ambiance.

“Paddle the Torrens” reminds the listener of the Celtic ancestry that American bluegrass draws on and “Wide-Eyed Immigrant” plays like a wonderful pop song, lyrically with a prominent fiddle lead. “Ride and Sway” is a very tasty interplay of mandolin and guitar. “Box Car Boys” features a very fine Spanish guitar lead over the mandolin and accordion melody. Carol’s voice slides you back into that near dream state on “Fly” before shutting down the echo and kicking in the harmony vocals with the whole band contributing to the album’s final song crescendo.

This album is perfect for a weekend morning on the back porch with a cup of coffee. You can almost feel your blood-pressure drop as the disc moves through its tracks. You can get you orders in any time after July 22nd.