Rounder, 1999

As bluegrass looks back on fifty years of tradition, few prominent current bands hew closer to bluegrass’s roots than IIIrd Tyme Out. The group’s tight harmonies and inspired traditionalism have won widespread acclaim, and their latest release will not disappoint fans. In John and Mary they blend well-loved tunes like “Milk Cow Blues” and “I Pray My Way out of Trouble” with songs they’ve remade like “Cold Summer Day in Georgia” and with tunes they’ve written themselves. True to form, the band’s instrumental work is solid but it never overpowers the finely wrought harmonies. Without slavishly imitating previous artists, the CD should appeal to hard-core bluegrass fans as well as those interested in hearing one of bluegrass’s premier groups.