THE FREIGHT HOPPERS "Waiting On The Gravy Train" (1998)

Carrying on the tradition of the hobo lament into the new millennium, this quartet spins some fine old-timey music. Utilizing a guitar/bass/fiddle/banjo configuration, they wonderfully execute a host of traditional tunes. Particularly beautiful are a baleful "We Shall All Be Reunited" and a chilling "Warfare." While banjo picker Cary Fridley's vocals sound self-consciously nasal at times, her harmonies with banjoist Frank Lee are strong. This is earthy music carried out with genuine loving care. (Allmusic)

It's no simple trick to carry old-time Southern music into the late 20th Century, especially when those grand 1920s recordings from which the revivalist bands draw their repertoires are readily available in reissues from Yazoo, Revenant, Smithsonian/Folkways, and other labels. But the Freight Hoppers pull it off more successfully than any outfit we've heard in a while. In fact, they're surely the most accomplished neo-old-time outfit since the legendary Highwoods Stringband in the 1970s. The songs here are largely standards -- but The Freight Hoppers manage to make even the worn-out sound fresh, through distinctive arrangements, unusual melodies, and pleasing harmonies. They cut right to the heart, at once dark and hopeful, of the venerable hymn "We Shall All Be Reunited," and the warhorse "Shortenin' Bread" comes roaring back to life in their accomplished hands. All in all, this engaging and entertaining exercise gives us cause for hope that even better is to come. (Amazon)

trax:
01 Trouble 02 Backstep Cindy 03 Anchored In Love 04 Molly Put The Kettle On 05 Ways Of The World 06 Warfare 07 Polecat Blues 08 Nobody's Business 09 A Roving On A Winter's Night 10 Fall On My Knees 11 Fort Smith Breakdown 12 We Shall All Be United 13 Wild Fling In The Woodpile 14 Hell Broke Loose In Georgia 15 Young Emily 16 Shortenin' Bread
...served by Gyro1966...