I have been working harder than usual to get into Laura Cantrell's latest disc, Humming by the Flowered Vine. I do so with good reason; the disc is receiving phenomenal reviews, so it is clear there is something of value to be had within its grooves. Try as I might, however, I find little to like. Cantrell has a pretty voice, and her choice of covers is impeccable. But the performances are so stilted, and her delivery is so pristine as to be lifeless. Perhaps it's not fair, but she sounds like what she is: an investment banker with a sweet voice who is dabbling in country music. I'd wonder why Matador Records, of all places, saw fit to release her disc, but because I'm clearly in the minority here it actually seems like a pretty safe choice as the label tries to diversify.

I can thank Cantrell for bringing the band the Blood Oranges back to mind, however. I cued up her recent performance on KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" this morning, and was pleasantly surprised to see former Blood Orange bandmates Jimmy Ryan and Mark Spencer playing mandolin and guitar, respectively, in Cantrell's band. The band put out two great country-rock-bluegrass discs in the early '90s, including its swan song, The Crying Tree, which was as good an alt-country disc as was released back in the heyday of the form. These two, along with singing bassist Cheri Knight (who put out two great solo discs of her own in the late '90s) and drummer Ron Ward were a quartet ahead of its time. All were great players, but the mix of hot bluegrass playing and alt-country rock textures predated the "Oh Brother" movement by too big a stretch and the band split up. Ryan has appeared as a sideman on a few recordings in the intervening decade and with the spin-off bluegrass group the Beacon Hillbillies, while Spencer has been busy adding his tasteful guitar leads to the music of Kelly Willis, Freedy Johnston and Jay Farrar, among many others.

It's nice to see Ryan and Spencer still playing together. There isn't much out there about the band (though unlike most come-and-gone groups from that era, their out-of-print discs aren't exactly cheap online), so it's good any time they can get some notice. For Cantrell's sake, one hopes Ryan and Spencer can help her to create music that has a bit more feeling and passion. If they're looking to back a talented female singer, perhaps they should continue the renewed partnership with Knight that yielded the song "Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet" for the Slaughter Rule soundtrack in 2003.