John Duffey
Always in Style: A Collection

Review by Steven Stone
Click here to e-mail reviewer

  John Duffey, lead singer and mandolinist with the Country Gentleman and the Seldom Scene passed away in 1996. He was a pioneer in modern bluegrass, an innovative stage performer, instrumentalist, and singer. Always in Style: A Collection is a fine compilation of some of the best recorded material during his 20 year association with Sugar Hill Records.

Everything on this CD has been previously released, so it is not a must-have for serious Seldom Scene or Country Gentleman fans. Here material is so skillfully sequenced, and so completely displays the wide ranging scope of John Duffey's abilities, that even a diehard fan may want to have a copy. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of traditional bluegrass material like Bill Monroe's "Tennessee Blues" with reinterpreted pop ditties like J.J. Cale's "After Midnight". Mandolin players should be completely blown away by Duffey's virtuosic use of tremolo and doublestops during his solos. Everyone else will notice that John had one of the most expressive voices ever created.

Producer Fred Jasper and Mastering engineer David Glasser did a super job of making these cuts spread over his long career sound consistently fine. Jon Weisberger's extensive album notes provide a well-hewn portrait of a man who was both a stellar performer and a charismatic human being.

Enjoyment: 95

Sound Quality: 90