After a string of singles that range from the jittery opening grooves of “Barnyard Funk” to a tranquil instrumental take on Reno & Smiley’s “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map”; the straight-ahead grass of “Slice and Dice”; the moody yet propulsive “Curious Times,” and the contemplative new focus track, “Hutchins Creek,” mandolinist Mark Stoffel fills in the gaps with the release of a new solo collection for Mountain Home Music Company, True Tones. Like its predecessor, 2020’s Coffee and Cake, True Tones — out now — is filled with distinctive tunes and masterful performances centered around Stoffel’s elegant playing.
Bluegrass forms the underlying context for the set — no surprise, given Stoffel’s long-time role as a member of Chris Jones & the Night Drivers — but an eclectic array of influences is easily detected, as Celtic, swing, country, soul, rock and jazz touches abound. Working with co-producer Josh Morrison, the southern Illinois picker assembled a set of players whose approaches are as unique as his own: banjo players Gina Furtado, Marc Pruett (Balsam Range), Kyle Triplett and Jens Kruger; guitarists Morrison, Chris Luquette and longtime colleague Nathan Clark George; fiddlers Malia Furtado and Niall Murphy; bassists Ross Sermons and Marshall Wilborn and ace studio drummer Tony Creasman, along with acclaimed fellow mandolinist Alan Bibey, who appears on “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map” together with legendary resophonic guitarist Rob Ickes.
From start to finish, the set’s dozen tunes elicit masterful interpretations with their memorable themes, sophisticated structures and virtuosic lines that nevertheless retain the instant appeal of canonic bluegrass instrumentals. Stoffel’s flair for melody is evident both in his lithe solos and in the compositions themselves, while intertwined threads of whimsicality and meditativeness provide a measured musical pathway that leave the listener thoughtful and refreshed by the time the final notes of the melancholy, yet quietly hopeful closer, “A House Empty” roll around.
Says Stoffel, “I’m delighted to present to you my third solo album – True Tones – on Mountain Home Music. It’s made up of mostly original tunes and I was lucky to record them with some of the best folks on the bluegrass circuit. That’s where the magic happened and I remember sparks flying in the studio. Really now! If you like acoustic instruments, especially mandolins, good tone, haunting melodies, and a pinch of drive …. you might like True Tones. Try it!”
Listen to True Tones HERE.
