RHONDA VINCENT > Good Thing Going

Seven is certainly Rhonda Vincent’s lucky number. This seven-time International Bluegrass Association female vocalist bowed her seventh Rounder album, Good Thing Going, this January. As the title implies, it’s a testament to why she remains the reigning empress of bluegrass.

Label: Rounder
[Rating: 4 STARS]

Seven is certainly Rhonda Vincent’s lucky number. This seven-time International Bluegrass Association female vocalist bowed her seventh Rounder album, Good Thing Going, this January. As the title implies, it’s a testament to why she remains the reigning empress of bluegrass. Vincent’s vocals still ache in that high lonesome kind of way that bluegrass fans never tire of turning up. GTG finds Vincent deep in love. Twelve tunes explore all sides of amore, whether solid, as in “Good Thing Going,” or asunder on “Scorn of a Lover.” Vincent’s song choice is spot on, whether penning them herself, which she does often, or mining traditionals by Dottie Rambo (“One of a Kind”) or Jimmy Martin (“Hit Parade of Love”). Musically, GTG finds Vincent stretching into new terrritory. The album opens with Ron Stewart’s banjo-fueled “I’m Leaving.” There are plenty of uptempos to rock ragers here, but there are also a few welcome surprises. “World’s Biggest Fool” is a fiddle-fronted, western-swing tune reminiscent of dance-hall cowboys like Bob Wills. The sublime “I Gotta Start Somewhere,” is fit for country playlists-if programmers had any sense-in the same way a tender Alison Krauss ballad finds a home.