On Mark Lavengood’s new album, “We’ve Come Along,” Michigan’s consummate dobro player and multi-instrumentalist continues to expand the possibilities of the bluegrass genre. Steeped in fiery bluegrass roots and traditional melodies, the album also swims with Lavengood’s own distinctive style and range. With a top-notch backing band, the album meanders through standards and original compositions, beautifully arranged instrumentals and tight, lyric-forward songs. The album’s title is a good one, as this release marks another major milestone in the already textured career of Mark “Huggy Bear” Lavengood. Lavengood has assembled a band of brothers, an outfit of superb musicians to help him on this album. Recorded over the course of several months starting in the fall 2015, “We’ve Come Along” burns with the energy and expression of a touring band, a band highly tuned to each other’s playing. The Mark Lavengood Bluegrass Bonanza! shines on these tracks, and brings the energy of their live performances right into your living room. Keith Billik’s precision banjo licks cut open each track and Kyle Rhodes superb flatpicking is both melodic and exploratory. Jason Dennie stands out with his nostalgic, skilled mandolin work. Driving the train is the ever masterly Spencer Cain on upright bass. And underneath it all is Huggy’s keen eye for arrangement and composition, his original voice, and of course, his dobro. Look no further than the title track to find out where this album lives. On “We’ve Come Along,” Lavengood meditates on the paths we take in life, kicking off the album with his trademark optimism, even in the face of troubled times. The song features impressive instrumental solo work and a chorus that will stay with you long after the track ends. Following this lead, standards such as “Ol Slewfoot” and Ralph Stanley’s “Bound to Ride” look back to the rich history of American bluegrass. The complexity and nuance of each player’s instrumental voice, paired with the unique arrangements give these standards a wild energy! Kyle Rhodes’ vocal work on “Bound to Ride” is straight out of the American songbook, and it’s clear from the first bar that “Ol Slewfoot” is a song Mark was born to sing. And while these bluegrass licks are as tasty as they get, the album also ranges out into other, more uncharted territories. Lavengood also pulls from rock and roll, blues, jazz, folk, and world music with this release. The smooth harmonies and ripping solos on a cover of Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” display this band’s ability to harness innovation and influence and turn it to pure, rocking energy! Two gripping instrumental interludes, written around the birth Lavengood’s first child, sing with the melancholic beauty only the slide of the dobro and weissenborn can provide. Tracks like “Three Day Blow” and “Vulpes Vulpes” reach back to Lavengood’s own roots and showcase his talent for adapting songs and making them his own. This album marks a milestone for Lavengood, but “We’ve Come Along” also speaks, with a timely urgency, to our collective struggle to march forward in an uncertain age. The final track on the album, Lavengood’s own “America”, speaks to the complicated history of social class in this country. This track, subtle and rich in its own right, asks you to go back over the rest of the album, to go back over all of the bluegrass canon, with a new set of ears. So buckle up friends. You are bound to be changed by “We’ve Come Along”. You are in for a trip! The songs here are born out of a deep respect for the music made in this country. The songs here sing with a desire to make music like nothing ever made before. There is technical precision here, and well-written songs, for sure. But more than that, there is a warmth and generosity of spirit that moves through this album, a spark that springs straight from the heart. -Russell Brakefield On Mark Lavengood’s new album, “We’ve Come Along,” Michigan’s consummate dobro player and multi-instrumentalist continues to expand the possibilities of the bluegrass genre. Steeped in fiery bluegrass roots and traditional melodies, the album also swims with Lavengood’s own distinctive style and range. With a top-notch backing band, the album meanders through standards and original compositions, beautifully arranged instrumentals and tight, lyric-forward songs. The album’s title is a good one, as this release marks another major milestone in the already textured career of Mark “Huggy Bear” Lavengood. Lavengood has assembled a band of brothers, an outfit of superb musicians to help him on this album. Recorded over the course of several months starting in the fall 2015, “We’ve Come Along” burns with the energy and expression of a touring band, a band highly tuned to each other’s playing. The Mark Lavengood Bluegrass Bonanza! shines on these tracks, and brings the energy of their live performances right into your living room. Keith Billik’s precision banjo licks cut open each track and Kyle Rhodes superb flatpicking is both melodic and exploratory. Jason Dennie stands out with his nostalgic, skilled mandolin work. Driving the train is the ever masterly Spencer Cain on upright bass. And underneath it all is Huggy’s keen eye for arrangement and composition, his original voice, and of course, his dobro. Look no further than the title track to find out where this album lives. On “We’ve Come Along,” Lavengood meditates on the paths we take in life, kicking off the album with his trademark optimism, even in the face of troubled times. The song features impressive instrumental solo work and a chorus that will stay with you long after the track ends. Following this lead, standards such as “Ol Slewfoot” and Ralph Stanley’s “Bound to Ride” look back to the rich history of American bluegrass. The complexity and nuance of each player’s instrumental voice, paired with the unique arrangements give these standards a wild energy! Kyle Rhodes’ vocal work on “Bound to Ride” is straight out of the American songbook, and it’s clear from the first bar that “Ol Slewfoot” is a song Mark was born to sing. And while these bluegrass licks are as tasty as they get, the album also ranges out into other, more uncharted territories. Lavengood also pulls from rock and roll, blues, jazz, folk, and world music with this release. The smooth harmonies and ripping solos on a cover of Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” display this band’s ability to harness innovation and influence and turn it to pure, rocking energy! Two gripping instrumental interludes, written around the birth Lavengood’s first child, sing with the melancholic beauty only the slide of the dobro and weissenborn can provide. Tracks like “Three Day Blow” and “Vulpes Vulpes” reach back to Lavengood’s own roots and showcase his talent for adapting songs and making them his own. This album marks a milestone for Lavengood, but “We’ve Come Along” also speaks, with a timely urgency, to our collective struggle to march forward in an uncertain age. The final track on the album, Lavengood’s own “America”, speaks to the complicated history of social class in this country. This track, subtle and rich in its own right, asks you to go back over the rest of the album, to go back over all of the bluegrass canon, with a new set of ears. So buckle up friends. You are bound to be changed by “We’ve Come Along”. You are in for a trip! The songs here are born out of a deep respect for the music made in this country. The songs here sing with a desire to make music like nothing ever made before. There is technical precision here, and well-written songs, for sure. But more than that, there is a warmth and generosity of spirit that moves through this album, a spark that springs straight from the heart. -Russell Brakefield author of Field Recordings, Wayne State University Press (2018)