Darrell Webb Band: at The Station Inn (Nashville, TN) Sat. January 5, 2013

Darrell Webb Band

Nashville Scene Critic's Pick …

While it makes sense when viewed from inside the bluegrass world, the title of the Darrell Webb Band’s latest Rural Rhythm release, Breaking Down the Barriers, might be a tad misleading for everyone else, since 98 percent of listeners will probably find it well within the boundaries of the genre. But make no mistake: Webb, a veteran who’s on the verge of celebrating his 20^th anniversary in the business, is a versatile, compelling singer and instrumentalist with talents that deserve more recognition than they’ve gotten to date. The album, produced by Mountain Heart’s Jim Van Cleve, plays to his strengths, and actually does stretch in several different directions, most notably in the direction of Music City, exemplified by convincing readings of writers like Skip Ewing and Mike Reid. Still, Webb’s at his strongest when tackling a straight-ahead bluegrass howler like “Little Maggie” — and when he does, it’s mighty strong indeed.

— JON WEISBERGER