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 C

After the playful rhythms of “Barnyard Funk” and a contemplative instrumental version of bluegrass gospel classic, “I’m Using My Bible for a Road Map,” mandolin master Mark Stoffel is back with a straight-ahead breakdown that’s as fast and flashy as a chef’s knife in the hands of a master — and that comparison, he confesses, is no accident.

Is Mark Stoffel best thought of as a creative, sophisticated mandolin player or as a composer of creative, sophisticated tunes? The answer, of course, is “yes,” and the latest proof can be heard on his latest single for Mountain Home Music Company, “Barnyard Funk.”

When Mark Stoffel released his all-instrumental Coffee & Cake in 2020, Bluegrass Unlimited called him “a road-seasoned bluegrass mandolinist in peak form,” while Country Standard Time pronounced the album “charming,” and several of its distinctive numbers popped up on airplay charts.

For his first solo project in more than a decade, mandolinist Mark Stoffel releases Coffee & Cake, his debut album for Mountain Home Music Company. Made with an array of guests that range from friends around his southern Illinois home to colleagues from around the world, the all-instrumental collection —now available — is a showcase both for his graceful, sophisticated playing and his equally distinctive compositional fla