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Aubrey Haynie - A Man Must Carry On
Reviewed by David McCarty

In 1997, Aubrey Haynie burst onto the bluegrass scene like a celestial event with an exceptional debut CD, Doin' My Time. In the three years since then, he's become one of Nashville's most in-demand session players on fiddle and mandolin.

Despite his increasing presence as a sideman, Haynie's talent is too big to remain in the background for long. So now we have another solo CD where he can display not just his instrumental skills, but also his significant song-writing gifts, too.

Haynie's hard-core bluegrass Tennessee Hardwood is a tune likely to be learned by many other bluegrass fans and played at campfire jams from Bean Blossom to Telluride. Eleven of the CD's 16 selections were penned by this versatile musician.

From the bluegrass side, he swings over to more progressive instrumental swing tunes like Thonotosassa and Happy Go Lucky, which swing like the Hot Club of Harlan County. Guitarist Bryan Sutton, who's also recently released a brilliant solo CD featuring Haynie's playing, executes brilliant Django-style licks on a Dupont replica of Reinhardt's original Selmer guitar and his Bourgeois dreadnought. Haynie's mandolin solos here ring out like Jethro Burns jamming with Chris Thile. If you dug Cracker Jack from his first CD, these two tunes will really set you swinging.

Haynie never neglects the vocal tradition in bluegrass and acoustic music, either. Bringing in such stellar vocalists as Carl Jackson, Tim O'Brien, Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminski, the CD abounds with great bluegrass singing on tunes like Hank Williams' Homesick and Lonesome and Haynie's poignant title cut, A Man Must Carry On.

And, if you think he forgets his roots here, you're also mistaken. In addition to writing a bushel basket full of strong tunes, Haynie turns to a couple of timeless classics for three of the CD's strongest cuts.

In lesser hands, Buffalo Gals would be a murky mess. Here, as interpreted by Haynie, Sutton, Jerry Douglas, Dennis Crouch and David Talbott, it's positively rejuvenated. Butcher Boy, sung by O'Brien, emerges as a haunting, high-lonesome narrative of lost love and the price one must pay.

For mandolinists thinking Haynie's reputation as a fearless fiddler overshadows his eight-string skills, the truth is his mandolin playing gets nearly equal billing here and has never sounded better.

Just check out his lickety-split opening salvos on Yehaw Junction or his heartfelt playing on Gone To Ferrum and Eternal Blues for a thorough education in post-Monroe bluegrass mandolin.

A Man Must Carry On neatly manages to avoid the dreaded "sophomore jinx" often plaguing second albums. Chock full of great playing, this is fine music from start to finish, and a must hear for anyone who appreciates contemporary bluegrass that respects the past while looking toward the future. Recommended.

Song List: Creek's A Risin', Sam's Creek Blues, Homesick & Lonesome, Tennessee Hardwood, Thonotosassa, Can I Get An Amen, Buffalo Gals, A Song For Stacy, Lakeland, Happy Go Lucky, Butcher Boy, Yehaw Junction, Eternal Blues, A Man Must Carry On, Gone To Ferrum, Maggie

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