Benson: “Pick Your Poison” (2023) CD Review

Benson is a bluegrass group led by the married couple of Kristin Scott Benson on banjo and Wayne Benson on mandolin. While this is their first full-length album together, you have likely heard these musicians before. Kristin Scott Benson is the banjo player of The Grascals, and has received the International Bluegrass Music Association’s award for Banjo Player of the Year five times (in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2019). Wayne Benson is a member of Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, and also played with Livewire and The John Cowan Band. They are two incredibly talented and accomplished musicians, but apparently it took a pandemic to get them to record together. Pick Your Poison contains a mix of covers and original material. The album was produced by Kristin Scott Benson and Wayne Benson. Interestingly, neither of them sings. Rather, they have several vocalists performing on these tracks, including Mickey Harris and The Grascals’ Jamie Johnson. Also joining them on this album are Cody Kilby on acoustic guitar, Paul Watson on bass, Jim VanCleve on fiddle, and Tony Creasman on drums and percussion.

The album opens with “Icy Cold,” written by Martha Haislip. It’s a song about a yearning for home, revisiting memories. “My mind wanders back to the days long ago/And thoughts of my mother and dad I love so/The birds in the spring would sing sweet and low.” Somehow songs about home are almost always effective, almost always moving. As we listen, we can’t help but return in our minds to our own homes, our pasts. “The winds in the winter would blow icy cold.” Grayson Lane sings lead on this track, and Mickey Harris provides harmony vocals. This track features some excellent work on guitar. That’s followed by a sweet rendition of The Beatles’ “I’ll Follow The Sun,” with Jamie Johnson on lead vocals, and Mickey Harris again on harmony vocals. In addition to that beautiful vocal work, this track contains some nice work on fiddle. And of course Kristin Scott Benson and Wayne Benson deliver some excellent and rather pretty work.

“The Fest Of Rudy” is an original number, written by Wayne Benson. And since he is not a singer, it makes perfect sense that this track would be an instrumental. It is a joyful one at that, with some excellent playing by all the musicians. Particularly impressive is that lead on fiddle, but I also love that mandolin, which keeps everything cheerful. The banjo and mandolin also keep everything moving forward, seemingly toward a glorious time with friends and sunshine. It has that sort of vibe. Heath Williams takes lead vocal duties on the group’s rendition of Bryan White’s “Look At Me Now,” a song written by White, Derek George and John Tirro, and included on his 1994 self-titled album. Tim Surrett (of Balsam Range) is on harmony vocals, and Jon Weisberger (from Chris Jones & The Night Drivers) plays bass on this track. This is a strong rendition, with an uplifting feel, particularly on its title line.

These guys deliver a lively, energetic rendition of “Red Mountain Wine,” a song written and originally recorded by Floyd “Gib” Guilbeau. It’s a fairly short version, in part because the pace is much faster than that of the original recording. This track features some fantastic work on both banjo and mandolin. Micky Harris delivers the lead vocals on this one. I wish this track went on a bit longer. There is then a gentler sound and vibe on “Oh Me Of Little Faith,” with Heath Williams again on lead vocals. This one was written by Matthew West. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Trust and fear are fighting/And I’m somewhere in between/A fumbling fool I am/I’ll never understand/How you oh god of endless grace/Can love oh me of little faith.” That’s followed by “What Kind Of Fool Are You?” This one was written by Becky Buller and J. Tony Rackley. It is a lively number, with a really good vocal performance by Grayson Lane. And Mickey Harris provides backing vocals. But it is the instrumental section that I especially love.

“Conway” is another original composition by Wayne Benson, and another delightful instrumental, with a catchy groove and a perfect flow to the music. It’s like a wave that keeps moving toward shore, picking up various things along the way as it grows. And yes, there is a good amount of joy in the playing. This is one of my favorite tracks. That’s followed by “Living In These Troubled Times,” a song written by Sam Hogin, Roger Cook and Philip Donnelly, and originally recorded by Crystal Gale. “No one seems to have the answers/Living in these troubled times.” Yes, except that sometimes it feels like the answers are obvious, such as to the gun problem of this country, and so it’s even more frustrating when those in office don’t seem able to grasp the answers, or willing to grasp them. “Still, you try and try/And you do what you must do/It’s the march of the dying.” Here the song is delivered at a somewhat faster pace than on the Crystal Gale recording. Heath Williams is on lead vocals, and Tim Surrett provides harmony vocals. Jon Weisberger plays bass on this track. The album concludes with another original instrumental tune, “Riverside,” a pretty and soothing number. It conveys that wonderful sense of taking joy and comfort in nature’s beauty, letting your mind drift and your body relax, the perfect thing after thinking about these troubled times.

CD Track List

1. Icy Cold
2. I’ll Follow The Sun
3. The Fest Of Rudy
4. Look At Me Now
5. Red Mountain Wine
6. Oh Me Of Little Faith
7. What Kind Of Fool Are You?
8. Conway
9. Living In These Troubled Times
10. Riverside

Pick Your Poison was released on March 31, 2023.