Lonesome River Band

It’s hard to think of a genre more committed to sustained creative careers than bluegrass. Case in point: the 41-years-and-counting path of Mountain Home Music Company stalwarts, Lonesome River Band. Though the last remaining original member departed before the turn of the century, the group — a quintet for more than 20 years now — hasn’t so much reinvented itself as refined a profoundly influential signature sound that has a seemingly endless appeal to successive generations of fans and musicians alike. Led by 30-plus year veteran and award-winning banjo man Sammy Shelor, who has presided over one stellar lineup after another, LRB remains among the genre’s most widely admired and powerful draws, both in person and on streaming platforms. Now, after a succession of singles that have once again reaffirmed their presence in the genre’s top ranks, Lonesome River Band has released a new collection, The Winning Hand. “It’s the first full collection of songs with the latest configuration of LRB,” Shelornotes, “featuring Jesse Smathers and Adam Miller sharing the lead vocals backed by Kameron Keller, Mike Hartgrove and myself. We hope everyone enjoys what we have put together for this project. Our songwriting friends have once again come through with some great new songs!” Sure enough, the material on the set both confirms that the band’s long-established sound is as vital as ever, and that Shelor and his associates have an ear, too, for new directions. Among the songs in the former…