We B Ramblin! – The Knackered Ramblers
If, in fact, the pair known as The Knackered Ramblers were as knackered as their handle otherwise implies, suffice it to say they would have a good reason to be.
Both musicians boast extensive resumes. Laura Boosinger is a multi-instrumentalist whose skillset extends to old-time banjo, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, and finger-style autoharp. Over the course of her career, she’s collaborated with any number of top flight musicians, among them, Grammy winner David Holt, George Shuffler of the Stanley Brothers, and multi-instrumentalist and storyteller Josh Goforth. She’s also the voice and creator of the podcast, Down the Road On the Blue Ridge Music Music Trails, and is a proud member of the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.
Mike Compton was mentored by Bill Monroe and can claim Grammy and IBMA awards for his mandolin playing. He’s also recognized as a singer, songwriter, arranger, and teacher. He worked with veteran producer T-Bone B. Burnett on the soundtrack to the film, O Brother Where Art Thou, and can claim past credits as a member of both the Nashville Bluegrass Band and John Hartford’s Stringband.
It’s hardly surprising then that the pair’s initial collaboration, the aptly titled We B Ramblin!, comes across as lively, compelling and throughly enticing. A combination of old-time tunes, Southern spirituals, and winsome originals, the music pays homage to a traditional tapestry. It’s an impressive debut, one that reflects Boosinger and Compton’s combined savvy and skills.
In that regard, the arrangements are fairly bare and unadorned, and yet the infectious energy that rings through the nimble Long Way To Vicksburg, the jolly singalong, Sheep, Sheep Don’t You Know the Road, and the two lively instrumentals, Gazebo On A Sunday Afternoon and Sandy River Belle, offer prime examples of an obvious enthusiasm. So too, the dark and deliberate On That Day (Boosinger’s retelling on the day disaster struck her region due to Hurricane Helene), and the tender, touching old-time ballad, Dear Honey, demonstrate further proof of the Knackered Ramblers verve and versatility.
Though only seven songs long, We B Ramblin! Comes across as a delightful debut, a set of songs that reflects the two players’ prowess and possibilities. Let’s hope these Knackered Ramblers continue to simply ramble on.
Lee Zimmerman
Lee Zimmerman has been a writer and reviewer for the better part of the past 20 years. He writes for the following publications — No Depression, Goldmine, Country Standard TIme, Paste, Relix, Lincoln Center Spotlight, Fader, and Glide. A lifelong music obsessive and avid collector, he firmly believes that music provides the soundtrack for our lives and his reverence for the artists, performers and creative mind that go into creating their craft spurs his inspiration and motivation for every word hie writes.
