Rob’s Album Of The Week: Not Our First Goat Rodeo

If you’ve read this review column before, then it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that I love collaborations. When multiple established talents get together, something amazing often results from it. You’re left wanting more and hoping for further installments. This is the exactly feeling I got after the first time I listened to Not Our First Goat Rodeo, which has the legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma being joined by mandolinist Chris Thile, fiddle player Stuart Duncan and bassist Edgar Meyer to create stellar sounds in the bluegrass vein. The album was released on June 19 via Sony Masterworks and it achieves the rare quality of being both timeless and refreshing.

This is the second time this quartet has gotten together, with their first record being The Goat Rodeo Sessions that came out on the same record label back in 2011. 9 years later, it seems as if Ma, Thile, Duncan and Meyer simply picked up from where they left off. Vocalist Aoife O’Donovan also joins in on a few songs and there’s a lot of progressions and rhythms moving at a fast pace. It’s seamlessly syncopatic and everything fits together in perfect harmony. If you’re a folk music fan who’s been looking for something new, this record is gonna blow your mind.

COVID-19 is still here. I know some people out there don’t want to wear a mask and act like everything is normal, but…