Blue Highway: Through the Window of a Train

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Over the past 14 years, Grammy nominee, Blue Highway has become one of the most influential and trendsetting bluegrass bands in acoustic music today.  With the release of their eighth album Through the Window of a Train, Blue Highway distinguishes themselves once again as an ensemble of songwriters and pickers, by having more unmatched vocal harmonies than any group in bluegrass music today.  Blue Highway self-produced and recorded this album in Big Stone Gap, Virginia which gives this record an organic flow that compliments their timeless rustic musical style.  Through the Window of a Train’s title track was written by guitarist Tim Stafford and gives the perspective of a train brakeman’s son who recalls riding the train when he was a child.  It displays eloquent picking and interplay between Stafford and dobroist, Rob Ickes. 

The subject matter on this album shifts from a homeless decorated soldier in Wayne Taylor’s ‘Homeless Man’ to a cowboy’s retirement proclamation in Stafford’s ‘My Ropin Days are Done.’  Blue Highway really demonstrates their instrumental skills on tracks like ‘The North Cove’ and really give room for dobro player, Rob Ickes and banjo picker, Jason Burleson, to stretch out and jam.  By recalling the words of some long lost hymn with tight quartet harmonies, they also had gospel flair to the album with multi-instrumentalist, Shaw Lane’s, ‘V-Bottom Boat.’  With their remarkable songwriting, dazzling instrumentation, and stunning vocal harmonies on Through the Window of a Train, Blue Highway continues to set themselves apart from the rest of the bluegrass world.

For more info see:  http://www.bluehighwayband.com