As if the idea of a Czech
bluegrass
band isn't enough of a head-turner,
Druha Trava
tackles some bizarre material on this, the group's first record released outside Central Europe.
Chick Corea
's
"Spain"
as a banjo workout?
King Henry VIII
"Greensleeves"
as an
Appalachian
ballad
? A hoedown based on a dance from
Smetana
opera
The Bartered Bride
? (The band is tapping into more than one set of roots on that one.) The amazing thing is that all of these experiments work out pretty well. So does some, but not all, of the band's original material. Vocalist
Robert Krest'an
has a pleasing voice, but his command of English lyrics wasn't fully developed and in some cases his songs are unintentionally funny. If you listen to his voice as music, the songs are quite decent, and regardless of such quibbles there is plenty to like on this album.
is such a good band that even the weirdest material sounds great, and a lot of the cuts here are first-rate. Banjo virtuoso
Lubos Malina
contributes excellent playing throughout the album, as well as an instrumental called
"Brazos Bottom"
that ought to become a
standard everywhere. That mutated version of
is pretty fine too, and the version of
Dylan
"One More Cup of Coffee"
is about as different from the original as you can get, but it sounds wonderful. As an introduction to a crack band that takes plenty of risks and has most of them pay off,
Czechmate
is a disc worth seeking out. ~ Richard Foss