You Were There For Me

These two "grizzled" newgrass masters have seldom sounded better than they do on this duet effort. Rowan, a revered singer-songwriter who has played with everyone from bluegrass king Bill Monroe to the late Jerry Garcia, hits an exquisite lick here with a batch of vivid new originals ranging from sardonic blues ("Tin Roof Shack") to evocative, narrative ballads ("Ahmed the Beggar Boy"). While Rowan lights up the proceedings with his free-roaming, high-lonesome tenor, acoustic guitar wizard Rice wraps the songs in exquisitely nuanced arrangements filled with subtlety, grace, and confidence. --Bob Allen