Blue Highway - Still Climbing Mountains (2001)

Consistently turning in the best contemporary bluegrass performances on record, Blue Mountain continues their streak with Still Climbing Mountains. Vocalist Tim Stafford and the exceptional dobroist Rob Ickes are well-worth every IBMA award they've won, and the songs remain as strong as any the band has recorded before. An early highlight is the blistering instrumental "Monrobro," featuring some of the fastest dobro playing on record, and the rousing harmonies of "Danville Pike." Producer Jerry Douglas may have something to do with the dobro-centricity of the album, but the band is certainly playing to their strengths, and the help they get from Alison Krauss and legendary country drummer Kenny Malone on the spiritual "Seventh Angel" only makes their best qualities stronger. In a year of many terrific bluegrass releases, Still Climbing Mountains ranks among the best of them.