Cherryholmes Vol.2: Black and White

Though the lightning crackling across the CD cover suggests a heavy-metal band (or perhaps a cross between the Addams Family and a Black Oak Arkansas reunion), Cherryholmes II: Black and White, the second release by Cherryholmes on Ricky Skaggs's label, establishes the family band as one of the most promising acts in contemporary bluegrass. The star here is Cia Cherryholmes, the banjo-playing daughter who composes most of the album's original material and ranks with Alison Krauss as a vocalist on highlights such as the opening "You Don't Know What Love Is" and the prison-ballad title track. Yet the instrumental interplay and harmonies reflect the sextet's blood ties, while the range of material bridges the traditional and progressive (it's hard to hear Cia's "Don't Give Your Heart to a Knoxville Girl," sung by brother B.J., without thinking of the Louvin Brothers' classic "Knoxville Girl"). --Don McLeese

Cherryholmes II: Black and White has been Nominated as Best Bluegrass Album in the 2008 Grammy Awards.