Well, with all those string tributes to metal bands, and two discs’ worth of Radiohead as presented by solo piano, why not a bluegrass take on Van Halen?

What’s strange is just how well this stuff translates into ‘grass. Not surprisingly, the more sprightly the tune, the better those fiddles and mandolins sound in these settings. David Grisman and company sound like they’re having a great time rolling over the giddyup rhythm of “Hot For Teacher,” as does Cornbread Red with “Panama” and Iron Horse on “Unchained,” the latter of which is a highlight with its tight harmony vocals.

Van Halen fans will have a hard time not skipping over to see how Dennis Caplinger fares with Eddie’s guitar-solo showcase “Eruption” (he pulls it off admirably). The spotlight here, however, is on David Lee Roth and his new takes on “Jump” and “Jamie’s Cryin’ with the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band. The latter works okay as a country weeper, but Roth sounds lit up in the presence of his new unplugged friends, and while “Strummin’” may not point toward a permanent career switch for the singer, it shows just how well Van Halen’s tunes have stood the test of time as well as a little genre-hopping.

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