CHERRYHOLMES III > Don’t Believe

This family band’s live bluegrass act is so exuberant and visual that the audio CD can seem a limited way to encounter them.

Label: SKAGGS FAMILY 
[Rating: 3]

This family band’s live bluegrass act is so exuberant and visual that the audio CD can seem a limited way to encounter them. Rest assured, though, the ever-increasing vocal harmony strength, instrumental prowess, and original songwriting talent can’t be missed on this latest outing. Molly’s fiddle and Cia’s banjo on the title track, “Don’t Believe,” would be enough to make the instrumental point; the instrumental “Sumatra,” and the near-orchestral backing of “Broken” should drive it home. Most songs here are written by various Cherryholmes, but the cover of the Flying Burrito Brother’s “Devil in Disguise” is a surprise romp. Especially noteworthy are the seven written by Cia, including the nuanced, specific song of a frustrating love that opens the album, “I Can Only Love You (So Much)” and the audacious, for some, likely shocking “This is My Son,” in which a sacrificing war mom finds new empathy for God Himself.