专辑简介

Phil Cornish is a second-generation bluegrasser and many in the Bay Area know him as an excellent mandolin player and the member of many bands in the area. The sixteen songs on the album include 13 written by Phil and show his versatility with composing instrumentals and song lyrics. Phil’s cherished Red Diamond mandolin graces the cover and liner photos and the mandolin’s warm, rich sound adds an intensity to the songs as deep as a fine red wine. The title cut, “Walkaway,” has a delightful bubbling quality to the melody and Phil is joined by Ron Lauder on guitar, Megan Lynch on fiddle, Ken Clarkson on banjo and Suzanne Suwanda on bass. The music box precision and clarity of the mandolin interplay with the darker tones of Megan’s fiddle and the banjo in the whimsically named tunes “Bag of Beans” and “Front Stoop.” Phil doubles on guitar and mandolin on “Merced” which has an effervescent sparkle and pulse to match the cascading sounds of its namesake river.

While the instrumentals have an optimistic upbeat tone, the songs’ lyrics show a darker side of life. There are tales of mismatched lovers and poor souls who are “liquored up and lonesome.” The song “Bitter Wind Ain’t Always Bad” has a hopeful reminder to be “grateful for what you have.” “The Bar Fight” is a classic western movie plot rendered in song and Phil’s voice rumbles in the Johnny Cash range while Dad Rick Cornish adds a surprise ending to the song. “Strumming Are The Sages,” written by Phil and Tushar Parte, adds a spice of Indograss with sitar and drums blending in a hypnotic mix with mandolin, Mike Tater’s fiddle, Phil Vostic’s banjo and Ron Lauder’s guitar. This is an intriguing album with a mixture of textures and tones that reveal more nuances with each listening.