Native Virginians Michelle Nixon and Vernon Hughes both came from musical families and made their first forays into performance at young ages. Nixon developed her singing skills in church while Hughes spent his childhood learning mandolin. At 14, each of them joined their first bands. A chance meeting at a recording session in 1992 led to a musical partnership which has lasted 11 years. In the late 1990s, Nixon and Hughes were together in regional favorites Local Exchange. After its dissolution, the the partnership emerged unscathed. After adding four new members, they adopted their new name and recorded It’s My Turn, their first album for Pinecastle.
Just a brief look at the cover of It’s My Turn will let the listener know what they’re in for. Nixon stands against a plaintive backdrop wearing blue jeans and a tank top with the Stars and Stripes. Locks of hair lazily sit on her shoulders and she has a large caliber smile on her face. With a mix of originals and well-chosen covers of traditional and newer songs, the album tackles bluegrass in the time-honored ways of Bill Monroe with a few contemporary twists.
A cover of Tom T. Hall’s “Harlan” kicks things off. Jason Davis’ banjo and Justen Haynes’ fiddle get the song moving from the get-go and it never lets up. It’s a paean to Harlan County, Kentucky and the people who live there. Personally, when I think of Harlan, I think of the miners and their strike in the early 1970s as documented in Barbara Kopple’s documentary, Harlan County, USA. This explains why I heard a bit of irony in the lyrics but you can’t deny the celebratory mood of the song. The bouncy bass and Nixon’s enthusiastic delivery make this song infectious.
“One Small Miracle” is a woman’s lament as she watches her husband walk out the door and out of her life. While the tone is melancholic, it’s a showcase for Nixon’s fantastic voice which is warm yet full of pleading. Hughes steps up to the mic and croons the traditional “Bees in the Hive” with Nixon adding some great harmony. “Couch Potato,” an instrumental, betrays its name with some blazingly fast banjo picking from its 15 year-old(!) composer Davis who leads the charge. Along the way Haynes and Hughes strut their stuff on fiddle and mandolin, respectively. This song really smokes!
Bassist Jim Green rearranged the gospel “Step Into the Water” and the result is a fantastic bluegrass song. He sings lead here but Nixon and Hughes contribute as well. In fact, the three of them harmonize superbly. A version of “Hello Operator” gets your feet moving once again and is followed by another Tom T. Hall song, “Joan Henry.” Hall wrote this gender-bending take on the traditional “John Henry” with Nixon in mind and she belts it out with confidence.
Michelle Nixon has a great voice and she’s surrounded herself with a clutch of musicians whose talents equal her own. The playing is tight and the vocal harmonizing tighter. And they’re no slouches at penning songs either. The older songs are rendered anew with spirited performances while the newer tunes are respectful of the rich traditions of bluegrass.
(This was originally published at The Green Man Review back in 2003-08.)
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