"Every once in a great while, a new release comes across our desk that introduces a band that we know is going to be the next big thing in bluegrass music.... The Dixie Bee Liners are one of those bands... pure to the bluegrass tradition and the vocal performances are beyond words. They are profoundly talented and the sound is their own. The bluegrass music scene should brace for this new album." 
The Dixie Bee-Liners is a collection worthy of praise... Brandi Hart has a voice that could give Alison Krauss a run for the money and could Buddy Woodward be the next Dan Tyminski...? With their immense talent on display, one could not help but think Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward should be on their way to an even bigger career in the very near future." 
""Eight expertly-crafted bluegrass and Appalachian originals cover a lot of ground in 29 minutes. 'Davy' and 'Family Tree' drop playful hooks and clever innuendo...the masterpiece, 'Lost In The Silence,' delivers authentic emotional depth amidst Hart's seductive vocals...the youthful 'Yellow-Haired Girl' seems 'older than the hills,' and the bluesy gospel bombshell, '(Lord) Lay Down My Ball & Chain,' brings it home with bass slaps, hand claps, and finger snaps...the Dixie Bee-Liners are on the verge of creating (dare I say it) a real buzz." " 
"New York's Dixie Bee-Liners demonstrate some classy picking, which you'd figure with the practiced bluegrass and country rock vets in the band, but it's their voices that really stick with you--the sweet but pointed vocals and clean harmonies of Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward, steeped in tradition, but with tones and rhythms that are very 21st century." 
"One of the most exciting and talented new bluegrass bands anywhere, The Dixie Bee-Liners are the brainchild of Manhattanites Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart. The songwriting team share vocal duties in a viciously talented sextet, which includes the crème de la crème of the surprisingly bustling New York bluegrass scene...one of those rare albums where there's literally not a bad song on it...particularly striking is "Lost in the Silence," a hypnotic, white-knuckle-intense ballad that goes deeper than urban country: This music is Bible Belt noir, bleak and gorgeous...both Hart and Woodward have very distinct, yet complimentary, voices - both as singers and as writers...guitarist Danny Weiss's warm and laid-back style is instantly recognizable on tracks like the darkly burning, blues-inflected "Lord, Lay Down My Ball & Chain." His gutsy exploration of the lower registers and his split-second, heart-pounding crescendoes distinguish Danny among the hundreds of hotshot pickers out there...creating eerily beautiful traditional music with great intelligence, passion, and wit, The Dixie Bee-Liners are, in a word, dynamite!" 
"These are no just-off-the-street warblers. Their voices pack a wollop that sounds carefully honed, regardless of genre. The distinctive Bluegrass twang is there, with tricky and furious instrumentals that render you unable to keep from tapping your foot, even if you're not an avid fan of Appalachian sounds." 
"Fresh! All the guts and emotion that makes Bluegrass music so special and that makes the NYBGOT scene the place to be." 
"They set down a compelling, sultry groove that lets their urban roots and backcountry longing meet in some fine uptown sanctifying." 
"Steeped deeply in the history of blue-grass (the picking here is as deft and swift as any) and with an urban sensibility, these new-grass performers win you over by dint of their love of the material and their wonderful voices...each song is tackled with the same gusto and panache." 
"...a pretty stylish and accomplished bluegrass quartet...with a knack for sounding both traditional and contemporary at the same time...at the heart of the sound are the vocals of leaders Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward...Hart in particular has a voice that commands attention, especially on ethereal, traditional-sounding fare like 'Lost In The Silence' and 'Yellow-Haired Girl'." 
Originally from New York, these urban musicians know grass. And while their intent is to re-locate to the Valley region, you’d never know they weren’t natives based on their music. These guys have received all kinds of positive press. It’s new-grass in flavor, with shades of the classics bleeding all through it. Lead singer Brandi Hart’s voice sets the tone for this up and coming next generation of grassers. 
"I was immediately struck by their warmth, and the sucess with which they merge a more modern approach to songwriting with the traditional forms of bluegrass and old time music." 
"Considering what a musical melting pot New York City is, it's not remarkable that a promising bluegrass band like the Dixie Bee-Liners would assemble there.... Hart [possesses] a reedy, girlish lilt... plenty adequate for these sharply written, well-executed songs." 
"The Bee-Liners have fashioned a sound so distinctive that you couldn't possibly mistake them for anybody else, certainly not another standard-issue acoustic-roots outfit.... The Dixie Bee-Liners have too much talent, creativity and intensity in them to remain obscure for long. A lot of contemporary bluegrass is little more than empty hot licks, bland vocals and country-pop songwriting. The Bee-Liners, who are anything but the just-cited, give contemporary bluegrass not just a good name but a lesson in how modern and traditional sounds, lovingly wed, can infuse old musical styles with fresh life in a new century." 
"Taking note of this hard-working and talented band’s debut effort, Pinecastle Records label has now signed them to their impressive artist roster. What’s all the fuss about? First, their songs have both spiritual and epic qualities. Second, their contemporary leanings exude great potential to attract younger listeners to the genre. Third, I liked the way they provide textures to their music.... Their repertoire moves a listener because it also draws upon the best elements from both contemporary folk and bluegrass. Musically comfortable together, they have the innate ability to project a consciousness that they are truly going somewhere with their tuneful and captivating approach. That, in a nutshell, is what all the promotion and subsequent commotion are about." |