Bearfoot - American Story

Bearfoot - Like many of their "new acoustic" contemporaries from Nickel Creek to Joy Kills Sorrow, recently transplanted Nashville quintet uses bluegrass instruments and traditions not to look back but move forward...a move from Alaska to Music City brought in three new members including lead singer and songwriter Nora Jane Struthers  // Release: American Story (September 27, Compass) // Sounds like: while there's a strong strain of unvarnished "new timey" bluegrass, American story is primarily one of a broader swath of Americana roots music -- nimble, ultra-tight harmonies and contemporary folk songwriting melded with double bass, mandolin, violins and guitar...multi-instrumentalist P.J. George, who came to Bearfoot with Struthers, adds a variety of sounds and textures including accordion, banjo and a variety of percussion, giving the album a fuller production and some rhythmic spark...

Quote: "I love that the entire album has a really rockin' element to it, with more energy than we've ever had before," Bearfoot's Angela Oudean // What we like: as with any album, the songwriting has to serve as the starting point, and American Story has a wealth of memorable tunes including the lovely "Eyes Cast Down", sweetly waltzing "The Dust", finger-snapping, bluesy "When You're Away" (video below) and fiddle-punctuated "Feel Free"...with Struthers fronting most of the songs, fans of the early, blue-grass-driven Dixie Chicks will find much to like here...

Bearfoot - "When You're Away" (from American Story)

Bearfoot - "Feel Free" (from American Story)