(Rounder)Revelations about heartbreak, America and addiction combine with banjo workouts in this testament to complex humanity
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Billy Strings’ third solo album dwells on revelations that befell the Michigan bluegrass punk as he reached his late 20s, about heartbreak, America and the roots of his former addictions and self-destructive tendencies. It is beautifully written (“There’s a poison sickness in my heart and I don’t trust the ashes of my mind,” he sings on The
fire on My Tongue), often puppyishly tender and delivered in an open-hearted voice made for spreading the good news, one filled with humility and awe.
Renewal may have a similarly eye-opening effect on the listener, particularly those not naturally inclined to seek out new bluegrass releases. Guitarist Strings is known for his incandescent live improvisations, and there is plenty of that agility here: Secrets is scampering and fleet; the quizzical Ice Bridges, in which he parries with fiddle player John Mailander, practically blurs into one vibrating golden seam. His workouts are characterful, never showy.