She’s a founding member of one of the hottest bands in bluegrass, but Sister Sadie’s Gena Britt has a stellar reputation of her own that goes back more than 30 years. Now, the acclaimed banjo picker — she’s nominated again for the IBMA’s Banjo Player of the Year award — and singer has partnered with Mountain Home Music Company to release her first solo album in nearly six years. And while Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches has plenty of the virtuosic picking and soulful vocals for which she’s been known for decades, her latest collection shows an artist who’s continued to grow and stretch her horizons in new directions, too.
The album is now available for pre-save/add ahead of its November 7 release.
"I am so grateful to Mountain Home for believing in me and allowing me to create this music that I'm so very proud of,” Britt enthuses. “The musicians and singers that I assembled for this project sound so good together! We first played in an all-star configuration at the Station Inn, and it was so much fun that I wanted to continue that in the studio. These guys and gals truly poured their hearts and souls into these songs, and I cannot wait for the world to hear them!"
“All-star” is no exaggeration, for the core team Britt put together includes award-winning fiddler Jason Carter and his one-time Travelin’ McCourys/Del McCoury Band mate Alan Bartram (acoustic bass, harmony vocals), stunning singer-guitarist John Meador (Vince Gill Band) and rising star Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, supplemented with contributions by East Nash Grass’s Jeff Partin (resonator guitar), Dillon’s Red Camel Collective bandmate and award-winning singer, Heather Berry Mabe, Balsam Range’s Caleb Smith, The Isaacs’ Ben Isaacs and old-time banjoist Tina Steffey.
With no shortage of material on hand — a veteran songfinder, she had a wealth from which to choose — Britt has put together an artfully varied collection, starting with the opener (and focus track), “What Kind of Memory Will You Be.” There’s burnished bluegrass, of course, including the driving “Heading Back to Heartache,” the classic-sounding gospel quartet, “Stone of Faith” and the mournful Caleb Smith lead, “Bend In The River,” along with a pair of banjo-led instrumentals in the venerable yet under-recorded “Welcome to New York” and Britt’s own brooding “Streets of Wenatchee.” Yet there are some, like the glistening ballad, “Just Like You,” Sarah Jarosz’s bluesy “Everything To Hide” and the Jason Carter-led swing of “Dear Departed” that defy expectations. Too, there’s the moving invocation of her father’s memory in Britt’s original, “He Likes to Fish,” that’s already seen widespread airplay.
The result is a collection that offers a well-rounded portrait of an artist grounded in the personal authenticity of the bluegrass she’s spent a lifetime mastering — and contributing to — yet unafraid to explore new dimensions in her creative quest. Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches makes a compelling case that Gena Britt is just now reaching the peak of her musical powers.
Pre-save/add Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches HERE.
