Buddy Jewell (CD - 2003)

Personnel: Buddy Jewell, Miranda Lambert (vocals); Biff Watson (acoustic guitar, classical guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, dobro); Mark Casstevens (banjo); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Larry Franklin (fiddle); Clint Black (harmonica, background vocals); Dane Bryant (synthesizer); Larry Paxton, Glenn Worf (bass); Eddie Bayers (drums); John Wesley Ryles, Lisa Cochran (background vocals).

Recorded at Emerald Entertainment and Black's Lab, Nashville, Tennessee.

Digitally remastered using HDCD technology.

Personnel: Biff Watson (acoustic guitar, classical guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, dobro); Mark Casstevens (banjo); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Larry Franklin (fiddle); Clint Black (harmonica, background vocals); James Garner (harmonica); Matt Rollings (piano); Dane Bryant (synthesizer); Glenn Worf, Larry Paxton (bass guitar); Eddie Bayers (drums); John Wesley Ryles, Lisa Cochran, Wes Hightower (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Julian King.

Recording information: Black's Lab, Nashville, TN; Emerald Entertainment.

Photographer: John Scarpati.

Buddy Jewell is no pretty boy selected by Nashville to be their next poster boy. Though he essentially aims his music at the same audience as Blake Shelton et al, he comes off as an earthy, regular guy. The fact that his self-titled debut album is produced by Clint Black--who also contributes a song (the rocking "I Can Get By") and blows some harp--should give you some idea of the stylistic neighborhood we're in here. There's no shortage of old-school country touches such as banjo, mandolin, harmonica, etc., and there's a cover of the Merle-penned classic "Today I Started Loving You Again," but this is still a thoroughly contemporary outing that doesn't sound at all out of place in the country arena circa 2003. minimize