Jambands.com Review
Kentucky Towns - Tim Flannery
Kentucky Towns is a stunningly well-produced sixth album of simple bluegrass, folk, and gospel from former San Diego Padre (!?) Tim Flannery. The acoustic guitars and fiddles and banjos blend deftly beneath Flannery's calm and collected voice. The melodies are familiar - lifted, borrowed, stole, whatever - and the tunes come at a relaxed clip. Flannery's storied past as a pro ball player never comes into play (I didn't know 'til I checked the website, and I was a baseball dork at one point), nor does it have to. The best compliment is that the music holds up for itself, a warm and inviting listen. The arrangements find creative nooks within the tight boundaries of traditional acoustic music, and Flannery finds a way to make the most handed-down music sound as personal as can be. Oblique Strategies sez: "Cut a vital connection.