Art Menius REGULAR REVIEW

A couple of years ago Roland White, whose resumè includes playing in the bands of Bill Monroe and Lester Flatt and leadership roles with the Kentucky Colonels and Country Gazette, left the Nashville Bluegrass Band to form his own group with wife Diane Bouska. The Roland White Band, as heard on their debut album Jelly On My Tofu, also includes veteran banjoman Richard Bailey and bass player Todd Cook. As Kitsy Kuykendall once exclaimed during his tenure with NBB, "Roland is a funky mandolin player." Truly spoken and proven by the simple fact that his solos and especially his instrumental compositions like the title tune sound much better the 25^th time you hear it than the first. That’s depth and feeling, rather than flash, at work, and it proves an all too refreshing concept.

On the album the whole band seems to feed off Roland’s positive energy. Thus the recorded results sound just a bit different while exuding an unmistakable feeling of good musicians having a whole lot of fun in the studio. Their version of Mark James’ "Sunday Sunrise" comes across as the most joyful bluegrass recording in ages above Bailey’s clean, driving banjo and Cook’s pumping bass lines. Even on sad numbers, such as "Someone You Have Forgotten" from Flatt & Scruggs or "Satisfied Mind", the listener gets the clear impression these folks, augmented by Stuart Duncan on seven of the 13 cuts and other special guests, thoroughly enjoy making music together.

Jelly On My Tofu collects three of Roland’s instrumental compositions and one from Bailey and David Grier with eight of White’s favorite country and bluegrass classics from sources ranging from Bill Monroe to Shel Silverstein. Diane’s bluesy take on pop composers Lieber & Stoller’s "Flesh, Blood and Bone" completes the baker’s dozen selection as demonstrates the Roland White Band’s refreshing willingness to experiment with arrangements. In Hollywood they use the phrase "little movie" to mean a film where artistry and self-expression prove more important than commercial considerations. Using that analogy, the Roland White Band’s Jelly On My Tofu is a delightful "little album."

(Copper Creek Records; PO Box 3161; Roanoke, VA 24015) AM