Laura Boosinger Album: "Down the Road" Rating: (4 Paws)

Laura Boosinger is a folk singer in the best sense of the word.  She lives in Asheville, NC, a center these days for good folk music.  She plays the banjo just right, sings with a gentle, warm voice that is easy to listen to, and picks songs that you want to hear again.  These old songs remind you of better days, but she does them with today's feeling.  Sometimes singers try to recreate the sound of the old time recording and sound a little silly in doing it.  This is a wonderful collection of music from the Southern Mountains, an important contribution to our folk history.

Laura writes some history about each song: where she learned it, where it came from, who wrote it, etc.  More folk singers should do that.  She has a few guests on the cd, including John and Jamie Hartford, Aubrey Haynie, Joey Miskulin, and Margaret Bailey, but the basic band is Mark Howard (guitar), Blaine Sprouse (fiddle), and the late Roy Huskey, Jr. (bass).  The focus of the cd is Laura's singing, along with her banjo, guitar, and dulcimer playing.  She wrote a letter when she sent the cd and said, "I'm really proud of it."  She should be.