You could be forgiven for not knowing who Jason Davis is. And after listening to Second Time Around, you still would. Davis is not a vocalist or frontman for any band, but he is a rock solid banjo player with a lot of talented friends. On Second Time Around he remains in the background, just as he does for his regular band Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, and nudges his friends up to the microphone.
When I first got this album, I thought I was sitting down for a disc of banjo music, and I wasn’t altogether sure if I could handle 13 tracks of that. But on the first track I hear Darrell Webb’s voice on “Where The Wild River Rolls.” Sure, the banjo was there, but not front and center. That was the biggest surprise for me with this album. Surely, one would expect a banjo man to put out a solo disc of banjo music. But here, Jason is content to continue to be the sideman even though his name and visage grace the front cover. He pulls together some of the best singers in the bluegrass business to knock out some great songs. He also gets some fresh faces, including Justin and Jason Tomlin who are featured on “Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart.” Google informs me that these two are part of the Deer Creek Boys who have been kicking around Southern Virginia for a few years now. And from what I see on YouTube, I hope to hear more from them.
Shawn Lane (of Blue Highway) and Steve Gulley (formerly of Grasstowne) turn out a great performance of the classic “Bootleg John” and Dustin Pyrtle of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver offers an awesome version of Ralph Stanley’s “Oh Death.” There are a couple of real banjo showcase tunes where Davis really shows that he can shine, but not with so much spotlight that he diminishes his friends. “Bully Of The Town” and “Shamrock” both have great, smooth banjo playing, but also some great fiddle and mandolin work, too.
Jason Davis said that he wanted to cut a bluegrass album that he would enjoy playing on. Well, if it was enjoyable for him, it is also enjoyable for the listener. Don’t expect too much crazy banjo stuff, but you will get a hefty dose of good songs from some great bluegrass vocalists. In fact Davis has given us a great cross section of the finest male vocalists that bluegrass has to offer, and that is worth a lot.
