After the up-tempo ’90s vibe of this summer’s Dwight Yoakam cover, “This Drinkin’ Will Kill Me,” Benson — the husband-and-wife duo of award-winning pickers Kristin Scott Benson (banjo) and Wayne Benson (mandolin) — downshifts to a subdued mood and distinctly contemporary sound with their latest single for Mountain Home Music Company, “Down That Road.”

From the shimmering suspended chords and gentle rhythms of its opening, the haunting track unwinds as a meditation on lost love and memory, perfectly suited for singer Keith Garrett (Boxcars, Blue Moon Rising). As Kristin Scott Benson notes:
“‘Down That Road’ is a great song. I love playing banjo on tunes with this lilting groove. Wayne and I are both huge Keith Garrett fans, and we love his vocal delivery on this one. The song conveys a vulnerability, and he did a great job capturing that.”

Wayne Benson also reflects on "Down That Road." IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Cody Kilby, former Wayne Benson bandmate Kevin McKinnon (bass), and master session drummer Tony Creasman provide nuanced support, while another former bandmate, Dustin Pyrtle, adds a sympathetic harmony vocal to the song’s melancholy chorus:

(I) don’t even drive down that road anymore
It’s paved with too many painful memories
That’s a reckless ride that my heart can’t afford
You made a fool out of me

Written by prolific bluegrass singer-songwriter Becky Buller and Nashville tunesmith Andrew Scott Wills, “Down That Road” masterfully marries well-crafted lyrics with a poignant melody — and a strategically placed chord leading into the chorus — demonstrating that Benson’s principals don’t need to be center stage to infuse an entire performance with their broad-ranging sensibilities.

“Down That Road” is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.