Dewey and Leslie Brown with The Carolina Gentlemen - Jealousy

by Zena Grieg

published: 1 / 3 / 2022

Dewey and Leslie Brown with The Carolina Gentlemen - Jealousy

Label: Bell Buckle Records
Format: CD

Traditional but distinctive bluegrass on second album from Appalachian-rooted husband and wife duo Dewey and Leslie Brown with backing band The Carolina Gentlemen

Review

Bluegrass musicians, husband and wife Dewey and Leslie Brown, have released their latest album ‘Jealousy’, the follow-up to critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Under The Mountain’ in 2018. Recreating a traditional sound that harks back to its Appalachian roots, ‘Jealousy’ resonates with classic-style singing and picking by Dewey (fiddle and vocals), with able accompaniment by Leslie (bass/vocals), with The Carolina Gentlemen band members Brandon Henson on banjo, Kendall Gales on mandolin and Tim Spence on guitar. Highlights of this 15-track collection include: ‘Dana’ with its sobering tale of a woman who runs into dead ends throughout her life across the world, as she searches for happiness; the jaunty, extended jam of the lead single and title-track ‘Jealousy’; the plaintive ode to Leslie’s childhood home ‘Fountain of Memories’, co-written by both Browns, a true story about Leslie’s family, coal miners in the mountains near Vansant Virginia, telling of how money and land can sever even tight family relationships over time; the light-hearted ‘Her And The Car And The Mobile Home’; the unpretentious, homely ‘Let’s Go To The Fair; the synchronized harmonies of Leslie with guests Donna Ulisse and Valerie Smith on ‘Maybe I’m Crazy’, the lyrics, in Leslie’s words “describe a soul longing for love and attention from someone who has pulled away their love, time and time again”; the contemplative ballad ‘Mother’s Day’; and the ominous ‘Only Six Come Back’, re-imagining a regular Appalachian tragedy as a cautionary warning about keeping in with the Lord. Entertaining audiences across the USA for years, Dewey and Leslie Brown have brought out another crowd-pleaser with 'Jealousy' and their new album is likely to win new fans to their distinctive, mellow bluegrass sound.

Track Listing:-

1 Dana
2 Jealousy
3 Old Richmond Prison
4 Fountain Of Memories
5 Mean Ole Thing
6 Her and The Car and The Mobile Home
7 Jealousy
8 Let's Go To The Fair
9 Lord I Am Weary
10 Maybe I'm Crazy
11 Mean Ole Thing
12 Mother's Day
13 Old Richmond Prison
14 Only Six Come Back
15 Uncle Slick