This record is the sequel to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's original Will The Circle Be Unbroken triple album, the one that got me hooked on these guys. In '72, when Circle was released, the members of the Dirt Band were long-haired, progressive country-rock artists who were trying to bridge the musical and cultural gap between themselves and the veteran country artists they were recording with. When the sequel to Circle came out in '89, 17 years later, NGDB was a veteran country act who had had a lot of hits. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2 is not the groundbreaking album its predecessor was, but this record has a lot of great songs by a talented group of artists.

I don't know where to start with the highlights--there are many. The title track features Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Ricky Skaggs, Levon Helm(formerly of The Band) and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson taking turns singing the lead, and all the musicians and singers who perform on this record join in. Acuff, who was one of the singers on the first Circle album, and country music Hall of Famer Earl Scruggs, who played banjo, make a return engagement here. Ibbotson added a fifth verse to A.P. Carter's original lyric and dedicated it to the late Mother Maybelle Carter, who was one of the key performers on the original Circle album. The first hit off this record was "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", the classic Byrds song that was written by Bob Dylan. Although I think the Dirt Band's live version of the song on their Live Two Five album is a little more energetic than the studio version, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is noteworthy because Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman, two of the guys from the Byrds, sing lead here. "Turn Of The Century" is the Dirt Band's utopian vision of the future("There won't be no TV preachers to ask how much we gave/We won't need no TV preachers/See, by then we'll all be saved") and features Jerry Douglas on dobro, Mark O'Connor on fiddle, and NGDB's Jimmy Ibbotson, Jeff Hanna and Bob Carpenter each singing a verse. "Lost River", written by Michael Martin Murphey, has Murphey singing lead and John McEuen, who had left the Dirt Band a couple of years before, joining his old bandmates on banjo. Hanna's Cajun rocker "Bayou Jubilee", which NGDB first did on their 1975 album Dream, is redone here and is no less spirited now than it was then. "When It's Gone", with Randy Scruggs(son of Earl) on lead guitar, O'Connor on fiddle, and Jimmie Fadden on harmonica, is a toe-tapper reminiscent of NGDB's classic bluegrass and swing numbers. "And So It Goes", on which John Denver is backed up by the Dirt Band, was the first hit song in four years for the classic '70s folk-rock artist. Other songs I really like on this record are the traditional bluegrass anthem "Sittin' On Top Of The World" with lead vocals by Jimmy Martin(another singer who was on the first Circle album); the gospel numbers "Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan", featuring the New Grass Revival, and "Little Mountain Church House", sung by Ricky Skaggs; John Prine's "Grandpa Was A Carpenter"; John Hiatt's "One Step Over The Line", with lead vocals by Hiatt and Rosanne Cash(Johnny's daughter); and the moving wartime ballad "Mary Danced With Soldiers", sung by Emmylou Harris.

However, even though I like Circle, Volume 2, I give it only four stars instead of five, mainly because of the way it was recorded. On NGDB's classic Will The Circle Be Unbroken, every song was recorded on the first or second try--as Acuff, one of the participants on both Circle albums, said, "Do it right the first time"--and a lot of the conversation the participants had between songs was recorded, giving the album a "live" feel even though it was a studio recording. There are some live conversations on this record, but in my opinion, most of the record sounds more like a slickly-put-together studio product than a get-together by folks having a good time, which is the feeling I get from listening to the LP of the first Circle album. Still, I don't think Nitty Gritty Dirt Band fans--or music fans in general--ought to miss this one. Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2 is a fine tribute to tradition featuring a band who has been making high-quality music for a long time.

Before I share my thoughts on "Circle II," I need to clarify something. Many people over the years have referred to this disc as country. Simply stated, it isn't. It's a combination of bluegrass, folk, appalachian, and gospel. Think about those 4 styles of music as you'll see how true this is.

As for the disc itself, let me start by saying this. If you're a fan of any 1 or more of the above mentioned styles of music, then you'll love this disc. It sort of reminds me of Christmas at Grandma's house. There's something for everyone. Everyone who's bought this seems to be fans of one person or another that's on here, too. The picking, playing, and singing all blend well enough to let everyone shine. No one stand out, but yet everyone does,

This album got the NGDB their first 2 awards ever. The first was for album of the year at CMA Awards. The second was for bluegrass recording of the year at the Grammies(The Valley Road w/Bruce Hornsby). It's sad that it took these guys so long to win an award. But it was also great because it was for a recording with no electric instruments! And remember folks, this was long before the recent resurgence in bluegrass music! One other thing-The NGDB won a platinum award for this disc, too. Not bad, huh?

If you've wondered where country music came from or perhaps where it's headed, listen to this disc. This one should give you a pretty good idea. I hope the NGDB record a "Circle III" album. If you're out there guys, think about recording it!

A friend told me, "This disc is where I go when the current state of the music business depresses me."

Having said that, my friend said, "you should hear it."

He knew my musical roots go the way of Gospel and Bluegrass, so

he made the recommendation on those grounds.

This is my history. This is "where I'm from".

I played "Circle II" through the first time, and most of that time, sat stunned as this music..."Roots Music" invaded my

This is well-crafted, solidly-played, honestly sung music from

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the record for me was the appearance of Bruce Hornsby, whose keyboard skills are almost

Emmylou Harris fans will not be disappointed, as she is in rare form for this album.

Over all, the Circle of tightly-knit, well-sung tunes has yet to be broken even by those who've come after. A great record.

This album could be called "The Country Music Hall of Fame." It has no equal. If you have never really listened to bluegrass music, give this disc a try. Where else can you find country pioneers like Roy Acuff singing alongside greats like Johnny Cash? Every song is a winner, but some are so good it's unbelievable: "Mary Danced With Soldiers" is Emmylou Harris at her silver-voiced best with a chilling tale of the Civil War. The title song, featuring the entire cast of musicians, is a powerful, emotional tour-de-force that is hard to forget. It's a great listening experience...You can tell that these people are simply having a blast performing these songs. The pure joy of playing and singing is obvious. I challenge anyone to buy this disc and have a bad time!

Some 17 years after their groundbreaking album

, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band decided to record a "sequel". While the original album featured the Dirt Band performing with veterans of the Nashville scene, they are more inclusive this time, teaming with old timers, contemporaries of theirs and even younger people who they may have influenced. While the results are not as good as the original Circle album, (and how could they be?), this is still a solid, enjoyable album. While it is hard to pick a favorite here, I am partial to the Jimmy Martin sung "I'm Sitting on Top of the World". There is a lot to enjoy here. Recommended to fans of "roots" music.