CHRIS JONES & THE NIGHT DRIVERS
Lost Souls & Free Spirits
Rebel 7518

www.rebelrecords.com
 

Though his voice is familiar to thousands as a DJ on Sirius XM radio’s bluegrass channel (a gig that has netted him IBMA Broadcaster of the Year honors), Chris Jones’ reputation as a singer, songwriter and bandleader goes back to at least the mid-1980s and a band called Weary Hearts that also included Mike Bub, Butch Baldassari and, before landing his long-running gig as Alison Krauss’ “banjo player for life”), Ron Block. Subtitled The Rebel Collection Old & New, this collection does indeed reprise some of the best of his three discs with the Night Drivers on Rebel over the years, including “Uphill Climb”, “The Man On The Side Of The Road” (a Tom T. and Dixie Hall song) and “Bridge To Portsmouth”.

There’s new material as well, though, featuring Jones with his current lineup of Jon Weisberger (bass), Ned Luberecki (banjo) and Mark Stoffel (mandolin). “Final Farewell” (co-written with Weisberger) is typical of the kind of intelligent and compelling storytelling Jones has excelled at, his easygoing baritone remains one of the most agreeable and satisfying in the business, and as the mixture of old and new on this disc shows, it’s aged nicely.

— John Lupton