Johnny Bell - Mountain States

Johnny Bell - Mountain StatesThis album is made out of simple, spare materials — banjo at the forefront, fiddle, acoustic guitar and synth drones filling out the backdrop. But somehow, Johnny Bell’s Mountain States manages to sound absolutely immense and sweeping, like the stark, wide-open landscapes of the musician’s home state of New Mexico. On a similar level as the great Nathan Bowles, the banjo isn’t some dusty Americana relic in Bell’s hands; it’s a living, breathing thing, resonant details and sparkling melodies ringing out with every pluck and strum.