JOHN McEUEN AND JIMMY IBBOTSON; "Stories & Songs" (Planetary Records). ***
Two former Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members, banjo/guitarist John McEuen and drummer Jimmy Ibbotson, are back together.
The two are singing songs and making up yarns on "Stories & Songs."
The album, which was recorded live in a Virginia studio (with an audience) in March, shows that the two musicians still have what it takes to touch the hearts of their fans.
McEuen's own "The Richmond Medley" and the banjo picking of "Grandfather's Clock" kick off the album before the spoken-word "Campfire Story" comes on.
There can't be an Ibbotson/McEuen reunion without the two dipping into Dirt Band classics: "Santa Rosa," "Rippling Waters" and "Mountain Whippoorwill (or How Hillbilly Jim Won the Great Fiddlers' Prizes)," which was renamed in honor of the recent recording session as "Mountain Whippoorwill in Richmond," are featured, along with Rodney Crowell's "Long Hard Road" and the Steve Gillette/Tom Campbell gem "Darcy Farrow."
The album is true-blue acoustic music, without overdubs or other electrical tricks.
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com