CD Review — Mountain Heart’s “That Just Happened”

I never thought I’d say this about a Newgrass recording, but here I go. Turn It Up! That’s exactly what you’ll want to do when you listen to this fine EP by Mountain Heart. Having heard them live at the International Newgrass Festival and thinking “boy these guys kind of rock”, I was interested to hear how it all would translate in the studio. Well the answer is – quite well. Unlike seeing them live where my lasting impression was of the many rock and roll covers they did, this EP impresses with its’ originals, augmented by some other carefully chosen tunes. The EP is self-produced by violinist Jim Van Cleve, but that doesn’t mean it’s second rate. It was well recorded and mixed in the group’s hometown of Nashville, where they seem to know a little something about making records.

The first track is the title track, “It Just Happened”, which is a song, well, about the song. John Cowan sings backing vocals on this one, but the real vocal star on this is Josh Shilling. With its’ slide guitar/picking interactions it sure sounds like rock, and more into the song you hear the organ wailing, and by that time there’s no doubt we’re rocking. Next up is “Little Sadie”, the old Bluegrass classic. It’s done up in a rollicking style, with all the fiddling and banjo you would expect, but still it rocks. I love Aaron Ramsey’s deep vocals on this too. “Even if it Breaks My Heart”, a soulful ballad sung nicely by Shilling, is Mountain Heart’s take on the age old topic of letting someone you love go. This may be the only cut you don’t have to turn way up.

“Same Old Heartache” is pretty self-descriptive, a tale of a relationship with problems that never change. It’s nice and upbeat, with some great banjo picking by Barry Abernathy. “Just Get Up and Go” is another one about a relationship in trouble, with more great banjo and lead vocals by Abernathy. Perhaps the most interesting tune is the sixth track, “The Ride”, a little fantasy about getting a ride to Nashville from the ghost of a really big country star named Hank, who asks the young hitch hiker if he can “make folks feel what you feel inside”? Because “if you’re big star bound it‘s a long hard ride”. This subject brought to mind “It Don’t Come Easy”; you’ve got to pay the dues if you want to sing, well, just about anything these days.

The final track is a tight rendition of the Allman Brothers’ classic “Whipping Post”. With the little interlude of the piano solo in the Joe Cocker version of “The Letter”, there’s no doubt about it, these guys like to rock. Van Cleve does some real nice violin work throughout this song, and really, throughout the whole EP.  And newcomer Jake Stargel brings a new energy on guitar.  

“That Just Happened” is just a really good record. It’s got some really nice packaging too, if you’re buying the CD. Pick one up, roll down the windows, turn it up and start to drive. It’ll pick you up in no time. For more info go to www.mountainheart.com.  

About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman