The curtain has gone up, and Joe Dean is in the spotlight. The young man of 16 has been bitten by the bluegrass bug, and he’s proven his instrumental prowess on “The Thrill of a New Game.” His exciting debut features his solid banjo, mandolin, guitar, lead and harmony vocals. His remarkable all-around talent is also apparent in the songwriting department with an instrumental “Flyin South,” co-penned with Bull Harman who also plays guitar on the album. The awe-inspiring project also enlists the support of Jamie Dailey, Steve Gulley, Junior Sisk, Dale Perry, Kevin Shults, Bo Jamison, Marc Rennard and Randy Kohrs.

Joe Dean began playing bluegrass at age 11, shortly after winning the Illinois state dulcimer championship.  Jerry Rosa (Rosa String Works) saw the young man’s great potential, gave him some tutoring, and provided developmental opportunities on stage. Joe’s name spread like wildfire among bluegrass enthusiasts in the St. Louis, Mo.area. It wasn’t long before Dean was playing mandolin and singing with Bull Harman and Bull's Eye.

The 37-minute “The Thrill of a New Game” album presents songs from both traditional (e.g. Lester Flatt, Ralph Stanley) and more contemporary sources (e.g. Cecil Tinnon, Clay Hess, Ronnie Rogers, Arthur Crudup). If there’s a slight weakness, it’s that Dean’s voice is also an instrument that will just improve further with additional experience, practice and maturity. Within a short time, I’d expect him to be able to sing with such emotional impact that he could become a defining bluegrass voice of the century. At present, he conveys a pleasant, youthful exuberance in his singing. Most impressive is his fiery mandolin and banjo picking on instrumentals like Herschel Sizemore’s “Amandolina” and his various breaks throughout the project.

With a heart firmly implanted in bluegrass, Joe Dean deserves our great support because his great talent and spirit indicate that the genre has a very promising future. It’s always very exciting to hear such a young, gifted and skilled purveyor of bluegrass. Joe Dean has a very illustrious future in music ahead of him. (Joe Ross)