Almost Proud (studio album) by The Del McCoury Band

It is a true joy to have another record from bluegrass veteran Del McCoury, who is well into his 80's by this point. McCoury had the privilege of singing with Bill Monore in the 1960s, the man who is widely credited for the fusion of jazz, blues and Mountain Music that he himself coined bluegrass.

McCoury fronted his own group shortly afterwards. After a hiatus where McCoury worked in lumber and raised a family, he encouraged his sons to learn how to play and by the turn of the 90s McCoury had them fully on board as part of his road band.

McCoury fuses the tradition of Mountain Music with eclectic songwriting from folk songwriters and some of Nashville's finest songwriters, whose songs are too good to hit the airwaves.

Almost Proud is another record of traditional bluegrass music, with lots of original songs contributed by outside writers. McCoury blesses the tracks with his trademark tenor vocals, with the excellent musicianship that his band always provides. Unfortunately, the production remains muffled, similar to McCoury's latter-day records.

Though not as outstanding as his early 2000s albums, McCoury never disappoints. Almost Proud is another excellent bluegrass record.

Recommended.

Condensed to a 7" Single:
A-Side: Sid
B-Side: Once Again