Phil Haynes & Free Country

All Music Guide:
Free Country is an album of warm and bluegrassy jazz interpretations of standards like "How Great Thou Art," "Go Down, Moses," "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain," "Oh Susannah," and more. Led by drummer Phil Haynes, cellist Hank Roberts, bassist Drew Gress, and steel guitarist Jim Yanda breathe fresh life into these old familiars. Their acoustic, instrumental reinventions are filtered through the players' adventurous jazz and improvisational backgrounds as well as through their obvious love of the folk song. Free Country is filled with interesting and imaginative solos (including Roberts on his scratchy jazzaphone fiddle) and lush group deliveries, making it an engaging and kindly pleasant listen. - [Joslyn Layne]