"Rust Farm" is a distinctive rich flavor of Bluegrass.  As you begin to
play this CD, close your eyes and you can visualize the true heritage of this unique sound.  Years ago, folks would sit on the porch with one kind of instrument or another and some instruments were mighty strange.  The resulting arrangements became the music known as Bluegrass.

The first cut on the album, "Until I Know Her Name" is a fun song of
'I'll give up money/I'll give up fame/But don't let her leave this
Honkytonk/Until I know her name.' It taps its way into the pleasing sound of "Shadows on the Hill". A song that tells the underside of how a couple stays together, not only working the land, but also working at building a life together. The fights they have bond them closer.  'I kicked down the rocking chair/And then you broke the mirror/Thank God these clouds are lifting/And we're both still here.'

"Two By Two" is another bonding song, expressions of undying love for
another, never faltering.  'There are loners who will say/That ramble is the way/But, for me, I will be staying here with you.' "Rust Farm Fire" is a very catchy tune that has a double meaning.   The lyrics are well arranged.  'And the fence post burn in a line like candles/That the devil hath set/In honor of his victory beneath the blazing sun/And the bodies
that fell to the ground and burned up/In the fire that day/Will remind us that destruction is never far away' One meaning is basic, the farm is on fire, burning down, but the deep meaning is the fire that burns in one's soul. The devil's victory of bringing one down, the destruction of temptation.

'I have seen their faces/Hope is gone from their eyes' "Only Witness" is
a deep emotional song that deals with the total depth of destruction.
Expressing the hardship of life and unable to go on. It walks you right into
the emotional depth of suicide; 'I'll stand beneath the trees and face my
jury/Pull back the hammer, close my eyes and turn to stone.'  I have heard a lot of songs about suicide; this one stands in a class of its own. It is
heavy, but  done in memorable form. 'It is over and yet I can hear it/The deep echo of the gun/In stillness I wait for the fade out/It's getting closer but it never seems to come'.   The music is mystifying, exquisitely done. As you listen you can feel the emptiness, the agony, and the end that never comes.

John McGann provides an excellent rendition on the guitar. "Belfast" is an excellent upbeat, instrumental featuring Chris Moore on the mandolin. Sliding right into the pure country flavor of  "Rose's Bar & Grill,"  a song about a wife who is still trying to hang on. 'She forces every smile/And she tries to love him still/Even though she knows he's there/Waiting for the waitress at "Rose's Bar & Grill"

"Road to Cody"  is a fast upbeat tune with rich bluegrass flavor. It
takes you down backcountry roads.  Next they are burying you in a "Six Foot Pine Box" with the sorrow of death. 'Once you get through the going/Then you've got to live with the gone'  John comes through again with the enchanting sound of his mandolin.

As this CD come to the last cut, you will hear the beautiful ballad "Downpour".  It is another exquisite song with a double meaning.   Simple
meaning is about the downpour of rain on the land.  ' It's not as though I
couldn't see you coming/Beautiful and dark across the sky/Threatening and dangerous' But an added line 'I never could resist the rain' expresses another meaning. Picturing in mind the love for a woman.

All the songs in this album were written by Chris Moore, showcasing his
outstanding talent as a songwriter, and with John McCann in arranging the music, these two artists will go far.

I was pleasantly surprised as the CD has an extra-added cut, which was
not listed. A very interesting instrumental at the spaced end.  A delight to
any listening ears. Thanks "Rust Farm" for sharing this little surprise with us.

If you like Bluegrass, this "Rust Farm" album is a must.