Unspoken Tradition: “Imaginary Lines” (2022) CD Review

It seems that the lines that separate us in this country are stronger than ever, that boundaries between people have solidified, and feel permanent. And in a time when a common problem, the pandemic, should have united us, making this division all the more distressing and strange. Like many bands, Unspoken Tradition used the time of canceled gigs to work on learning new material. And it seems the band had those boundaries, those barriers, in mind, for some of the songs that make up Imaginary Lines address overcoming the things that separate us. The album’s title refers to those barriers. Countries themselves are imaginary, for in many cases there are no actual barriers, no actual lines separating them. They exist only in our heads. So what is it that keeps it so difficult for us to remove those barriers, to erase those imaginary lines? Unspoken Tradition is based in North Carolina, and is made up of Saravanan Sankaran on bass and vocals, Audie McGinnis on guitar and vocals, Zane McGinnis on banjo, Ty Gilpin on mandolin, and Tim Gardner on fiddle and vocals. Imaginary Lines was produced by Jon Weisberger, who also co-wrote a couple of its tracks.

The album opens with “Carolina And Tennessee,” a sweet song with a friendly vibe, a tune that seems to reach out to us across those boundaries. Bluegrass music feels perfect for making those connections between people, doesn’t it? This song features some good lines, such as these: “I would give you the mountains and majesty to show my love/I would give you the colors of October leaves if you should blush.” This song also gives the album its title in the lines, “Walked in the shadows of hard times, waiting for the sun to shine/Finding out that our boundary’s imaginary lines.” That’s followed by “Irons In The Fire,” a song about working, struggling to make a living, and looking for freedom in this land of the free. “Lacing up my boots, hoping I might find/A chance to get away and leave it all behind/Where’s all the freedom I’ve been hoping for for so long?” And do we find that freedom within? “The hardest part of moving on is letting go.”

“Crooked Jack” is another song about working, this one specifically about working on the hydro dam. I’ve heard a lot of versions of this one over the years, for it tends to show up on Irish music compilations. Unspoken Tradition gives us a really good rendition, with a passionate vocal delivery and an excellent instrumental section. John Doyle (who has recorded his own version of this song) joins the group on vocals and bouzouki on this one. “Soldiers Of Dust” also features some wonderful playing, particularly on mandolin. This song is about a poor town. Check out these lines: “Leave it or love it, when push comes to shove it’s the same/The colors are not black or white, red, blue or grey/Love is a crime when your heart’s on your sleeve/Sisters of mercy look sad-eyed to me/Drowning in rivers of rust/Like angels of dust.” This one was written by Ty Gilpin, and it’s one of the album’s most powerful tracks.

“California” was co-written by Thomm Jutz and Miriam Speyer. There has always been something appealing to me in songs about California, and I imagine that is true even for those odd people who claim to hate the state. Perhaps it is because California is still the land of dreams (and dreamers). But this song asks “Where do you go, where do you turn to/When you’re running out of dreams?” and is about someone who has left California to pursue music in Nashville, and longs to be in two different places at the same time. “How do you know what you’ve been missing/If you never turn to leave/Is this all I ever wanted/Or am I just plain naïve?” This song is beautiful, especially for the first verse before it kicks in.

Unspoken Tradition delivers a completely enjoyable rendition of “The Old Swinging Bridge.” Everything moves in such a way that all troubles seem to be vanishing. Here is a song that seems capable of crossing all imaginary lines that separate people. After all, who among us can’t relate to the spirit of this song? Who doesn’t look back at some special moment from years ago? Who doesn’t get lost in those memories? That’s followed by “At The Bottom Again,” one of my personal favorites. It has a cool vibe, and features some excellent playing as well as some strong vocal work. “The light at the top is slowly getting dimmer/I’m back in the darkness without end/Heading down to the bottom again.” This is one of the songs co-written by Jon Weisberger, in this case with Justin Carbone. It’s followed by the other song co-written by Jon Weisberger, “Back On The Crooked Road” (this one written with Tim Stafford). As we learned in school, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But of course most of us find ourselves on crooked roads, which turn out to be more enjoyable. “I was born on a crooked road/I grew up where the trees would bend in the winter wind/I walked many a mile on a path too straight and narrow/Now I’m back on the crooked road again.”

The group then covers “Bounty Hunter,” a song written and originally recorded by Mike Cross, who used it as the title track of his 1979 album. “Bounty Hunter” has a darker folk sound from the start, fitting for the tale this song tells, a tale of impending death. This track features some good work on guitar and fiddle. The album concludes with “Lookout Mountain,” a song written by Charles Humphrey III (from Songs From The Road Band) and Phi Barker (from Town Mountain). It’s a song of leaving, but about being forced to leave, when the land where his family lived is sold to make way for a resort for the wealthy. “There ain’t no voice of reason when there’s a fortunate to be made.” And check out these lines: “Once a road that carried me home now carries me far away/Mountains in my rearview as blue sky fades to grey/Gonna make my way even if I hide on a greener mountainside/To find a place where progress ain’t caught up to the times.” This song features some excellent work on banjo. I also love that bass line. But the vocals are at the track’s heart.

CD Track List

1. Carolina And Tennessee
2. Irons In The Fire
3. Crooked Jack
4. Soldiers Of Dust
5. California
6. The Old Swinging Bridge
7. At The Bottom Again
8. Back On The Crooked Road
9. Bounty Hunter
10. Lookout Mountain

Imaginary Lines was released on June 10, 2022.