Rick Jamison, a California-based bluegrass musician, isn't compelled to constrain his contemporary offerings to the more traditional stylings of the genre. Rather, he incorporates melodies, tempos and chordal progressions that work well with his folksy and amiable voice. It's kind of nice to hear the II, VII and various minor chords along with the I, IV, and V that more typically characterize bluegrass. The senior writer and editor with a Silicon Valley software company also knows how to work the lyrics in a song to convey emotional messages and feelings. Jamison has taken to releasing an album per year for the last three years, and the reason that he's been so prolific in recent times may be best captured in his sentiments of "Time Marches On." He's obviously seizing the moment to plug his material, and I can relate to Rick's expressive verse that "Once this day is done it's gone forever, to join a thousand years of yesterdays, memories are the keepsakes and the treasures." In much the same way, the hour's worth of originals on "The Magic Hour" is a musical token and gift to us.

While some songs have more appeal than others, a true bluegrass fan can't bemoan his title cut that exclaims "The music makes us smile and clap our hands, In the company of other bluegrass fans, The music carries all of us away, In the magic hour that ends a perfect day." In a more serious and emotive vein, Jamison's love songs ("The Best In Me" and "Time For Goodbye") may actually convey the best of the songcrafting within the artist who also happens to be a painter. The latter song , sung by Erik Thomas as a duet with Megan Lynch, asks the inevitable questions "Is it time to start all over? Is it time to say goodbye?" The musical tone painter also has a witty side as his "Bugged & Bothered" speaks to various insect infestations (ants in my pantry, bedbugs in the bed, a moth that ate my sweater, and gnats around my head) that lead to infatuation for another. A more traditional bluegrass band might want to consider covering songs like "A Bank Too Far" and "Not Tonight" that keeps the lyrics straight - forward, honest and conversational.

Rick Jamison plays guitar and sings most lead vocals. He's assembled a crackerjack lineup of collaborators with California connections who include Dave Richardson (banjo), Erik Thomas (mandolin), Megan Lynch (fiddle), Rob Ickes (Dobro), and Cindy Browne (bass). All but Ickes and Brown provide vocals. The stellar musicians best display their chops in the instrumental "Crunch Time." Dave Richardson spent five years playing with the Don Ho Show in Hawaii in the late - 1970s before moving to Monrovia, Ca. and getting established with the California bluegrass scene with the band, Bluegrass West. Erik Thomas, a founding member of the group Due West, has played with an eclectic bunch including Mickey Gilley, Elvin Bishop, David Grisman, Rob Ickes and Tony Trischka. Also a member of Due West, eclectic acoustic bassist Cindy Browne is well - grounded in jazz, classical and ethnic folk music, but she holds a Masters Degree in Music and easily adapted to bluegrass. She currently teaches music at Las Positas College in Livermore, Ca. Raised in Redding, Ca., Megan Lynch has won many national and state fiddle contests. Now based in Nashville, her personalized fiddling can be heard with 3 Fox Drive, Blue Moon Rising, Chris Jones, Chris Stuart, Copper Canyon and others. From Millbrae, Ca., Rob Ickes now lives in Nashville also. The multi - year IBMA Dobro Player of the Year has toured with Tony Furtado, Todd Phillips, Weary Hearts, Lynn Morris Band, Alison Krauss, Blue Highway, Three Ring Circle and others.

Because one objective of the 60-minute "The Magic Hour" is to help plug Jamison's songs, it's helpful that the lyrics and chords for all but the closer "Cedars and the Pines" are on-line at www.rjamison.com. While Rick has two other albums out (with his band Copper Canyon), this solo debut is my first introduction to his singing, playing and songcrafting. Now I feel a little more familiar and acquainted with the man. If you like your bluegrass with some folk flavorings, you'll also enjoy the musical encounter as Rick tells tales, expresses emotions, and perhaps most importantly paints pictures with his lyrics and melodies. His songs are every bit as vivid and impressionistic as Jamison's oil on canvas (Where the Mountains Meet the Sky) that graces the inside of the CD jacket. (Joe Ross)