Though Andy Hall is a Dobroist and Squareneck Soul is the Infamous Stringduster’s seventh solo album, the collection is a collaborative effort.
With guitarist Billy Strings appearing on “Muscle Car” and surrounded by a core band that includes Hall’s fellow ’Duster Travis Book on bass and mandolinists Ronnie McCoury and Sierra Hull; banjoist Wes Corbett; and guitarist Bryan Sutton, Hall wisely and generously shares the spotlight giving the album a balance and group-like atmosphere that bolsters the compositions.
Combing seven high-octane numbers with the balladic “Ancient Footsteps,” “Seriously, It’s Gonna be Fine” and the solo title track, Hall adroitly spools threads of contemplation amid a record that is expressly a celebration. And when he and his supporting cast unabashedly trace the melody of “Midnight Moonlight” on the album-closing “Crooked Mountain Top,” they nod to the past while remaining wholly contemporary.
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