6/16/2006 - Boston Globe review

Details:
David Lee Roth may have bombed as a morning talk-show host, but he makes a persuasive case as a bluegrass singer in this winning acoustic tribute to his Van Halen catalog. He's one of many vocalists on the CD, but Roth leads the pack by revisiting (by way of Appalachia) two of his Van Halen hits, "Jump" and "Jamie's Cryin'." He is accompanied by the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (Jorgenson is a three-time winner of the Academy of Country Music award for guitarist of the year) and sounds quite believable when surrounded by fiddle, dobro, and mandolin, rather than by Eddie Van Halen's signature pop-metal mayhem. The rest of the disc is an added treat, featuring some of the top names in bluegrass. John Cowan, formerly of New Grass Revival, drives through "Runnin' With the Devil" with a fevered intensity. Banjo legend Tony Trischka elevates "Feel Your Love Tonight," Mountain Heart rips through "Dance the Night Away," the Nashville Bluegrass Band lends style to "Could This Be Magic?," and mandolinist David Grisman brings "Hot for Teacher" to a boil. Another triumph is Dennis Caplinger's psychedelic banjo version of Eddie Van Halen's classical instrumental "Eruption." The performances transcend cheesiness, and this album should prove once and for all that bluegrass musicians can adapt to just about anything.
ESSENTIAL TRACK: "Jump."