Liz Meyer and Mark Cosgrove Regions of the Soul
Mark Cosgrove Round Island

Review by Steven Stone
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CD Number: SCR Prod. SM-402 and Noisy Neighbors NNM046
www.ibluegrass.com/lizmeyer/

  Traditional American music is sometimes more welcomed overseas than at home. American expatriate Liz Meyer lives in Holland where she plays and tours regularly. Regions of the Soul is the product of her first tour with award-winning guitarist Mark Cosgrove. This live duo album features Liz's flexible voice and formidable songwriting talents coupled with Mark's superb chops and fine vocals. Along with eleven of her own compositions, there are heartfelt versions of songs by Artie Traum, Rodney Crowell, Bill Monroe, and Kieran Halpin. My favorite Meyer composition is "Cecil", about an older guitar player whose final refrain is "Let's all pick a fast one, boys!".

While I have heard more sumptuous sound on live recordings, the sonics never get in the way of the music. It is encouraging to see artists producing their own recordings of live shows. While Regions of the Soul is not the sort of disc you will find easily at your local mega-store, it is worth the extra bit of effort necessary to obtain it. Contact Liz Meyer to get this exceptional recording and make an e-mail friend at the same time.

Concerning Mark Cosgrove and his recrding Round Island, when is comes to winning flatpicking competitions Mark Cosgrove is an expert. He has been the United States National Flatpicking Guitar Champion at Winfield, Kansas, as well as the Doc Watson Flatpicking Champion at Merlefest. Round Island, his second CD release, shows that not only can this boy pick, but he can sing, and even write his own musical compositions. While Cosgrove's style and technique come from flatpicking roots, his scope is not limited to strictly bluegrass. Lennon and McCartney's "Fixin' an Hole" and Charlie Parker's "Ornithology" are both covered with individualistic grace and style.

First class musicians including Tony Trischka on banjo, Mark Maglashan Barry Mitterhoff, and Steve Hendershott on mandolin, Larry Cohen on bass, and Matt Glazer on fiddle join Mark on Round Island. Recorded at Maggie's Farm in Bucks County, PA, engineer Matt Balitsaris does a fine job of capturing the subtle timbre of Mark's Collings dreadnought guitar.

Yes, there are many fine contest-winning guitarists in the world, but Mark Cosgrove has a musical breadth and sensitivity that is rare, even among these super-pickers. The better you can play guitar, the more you will enjoy Round Island. I guarantee you will not get tired of listening to this CD.

Liz Meyer and Mark Cosgrove
Regions of the Soul

Sound Quality: 80

Enjoyment: 90

Mark Cosgrove
Round Island

Sound Quality: 85

Enjoyment: 90