NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND
Speed of Life
(NGDB RECORDS/SUGAR HILL)
[Rating: 3 STARS]
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band are best known for extra-group effort; Their three influential volumes of Will the Circle Be Unbroken brim with late and living country legends. But Speed of Life is one string band-ish country-rockers Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter and John McEuen tackled alone—except for the songwriting, which they split down the middle with quality writers like Shawn Camp and Matraca Berg. The strongest material on this set comes from outside sources. Which is not to say that the longtime members of NGDB are outshined. Their music has always been more about warmth of spirit and generation- and genre-bridging than who wrote the songs. The harmony-rich country-blues romp “Jimmy Martin” is a reminder of all three strengths (especially fitting since Martin sang on Circle I and III). But here’s the real kicker: A cover of Canned Heat’s “Going Up To the Country” is a clear link to NGDB’s era of origin. Only NGDB delivers a rootsier, livelier boogie than the Woodstock anthem. For a band to keep their joy and easy-going energy into their fourth decade is no small thing.