Recorded, engineered and mixed by Andrew Heaton at Hatecave Studios in Athens, GA / Mastered by Jeff Capurso at Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA

Athens Ga.'s Packway Handle Band has released a fourth album. The self-titled record contains a spirited mix of instrumental and original tunes. It could be hard for a band to make its mark and stand out in a crowded genre revival like bluegrass, but Packway delivers in spades.

Packway Handle's vocals vary between harmony and solo voice, sung into two microphones in a traditional live bluegrass setup. Though this setup can't be seen, it can definitely be heard on this album. Packway captures the wonderful feel of a band in a living room or an intimate pub, sharing its latest tunes. Band members wrote all 11 songs on the album; this isn't a group feeding off public access gems from yesteryear.

"Gets Me Every Time" is fun ditty about the notorious whiskey vice, telling the listener, if you're going to get wasted, it might as well be on something worth the trip and any resulting misdeeds. "Strangers" is one of two songs about relationships, and it's got a fast pace, played in an almost cyclical fashion by the instruments. The vocals alternate between unison and solo, adding to the effect. "Satan's in Space" attempts to dispel tales of where the Devil resides. This song and "Earl the Duck" are the two most funny and irreverent songs on the album. With one lead vocal, the rest of the band forms a Jordanaires-style backup on "Satan's . . ." "Earl the Duck" uses a capella harmony, fiddle, mandolin and banjo to tell its fable, a comical story of raising ducks, naming them in the wrong gender, and appreciating their loyalty, if nothing else.

Packway achieves uniqueness by blending bluegrass instrumentation with more contemporary and timeless track themes. (Self-released)

www.packwayhandleband.com

Kathleen Wehle

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