Mountain Heart - Road That Never Ends: The Live Album

Mountain Heart is, without question, one of the tightest, fastest draws in the contemporary folk music scene. Their live shows are exceptionally energetic, and their fierce instrumental skills are only matched by one another. Road That Never Ends is an excellent addition to their discography, and an exquisite cd of choice for anyone interested in learning about this great band.

Live at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan

To see Mountain Heart live, you'd think they were powered by some super-human source. The energy they bring to any room is unstoppable, and the band's instrumentalism—already impressive in studio recordings—proves somewhat mind-bogglingly good. Finally, they've brought together the electricity of their live performance onto a disc that will prove to be a great addition to the collections of hard-core Mountian Heart fans, as well as those new to the band or contemporary bluegrass in general.

After a brief introduction and welcome, they light into their set with the title track—a ripping-fast bluegrass tune that sets the pace and the stage for what is an undeniably wonderful set.

A Well-Balanced Show

Mountain Heart, like so many younger bands, is known for integrating all styles of music onto what is a solid foundation of bluegrass roots. In their case, most of the diversions are less jamgrassy, pop-rocky tunes and more contemporary country with a little jazz in the mix. "Who's the Fool Now" is a sweet song of longing and loss sung by Josh Schilling, with clear country influences. "The Gospel Train" is a hotly tight a cappella gospel piece. "It Works Both Ways" is a smooth old-style blues tune impressively played by Schilling on guitar.

It's a brief diversion, though, before the band returns to their bluegrass stylings with a crowd favorite: "God and Everybody," followed by "Devil's Courthouse"—a nice rippling, fast fiddle tune punctuated by impressive mandolin and banjo solos. The crowd seems to go nuts for this level of fierce, fire-fast playing and the band is only fueled by that energy.

The Bottom Line

"We weren't sure what to expect [about this show]," banjo player Barry Abernathy tells the crowd at one point. "But, we had a good feeling." That seems to go without saying, as the exchanges between band and audience are audibly packed with adoration and respect.

The Road That Never Ends is obviously a road well worth traveling.