Glade City Rounders bassist Randy Hill recently made his solo debut with I’m My Own Grandpa, a tribute to legendary country singer Grandpa Jones.
Grandpa Jones, born Louis Marshall Jones, was a mainstay in the country scene in the mid-1900s with numerous lighthearted albums and regular appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. He went on to become a cast member on the cultural staple Hee Haw, where he would regularly perform standards and participate in skits.
Hill, who has also been a member of the Whistle Pigs, has so much affection for Jones’ body of work that he dedicated an entire record to him and his most memorable covers. The album’s packaging, which itself is a throwback to the cover art of a Jones best-of compilation, features a note from Hill calling Jones his “hero” and that I’m My Own Grandpa should be seen “as a tribute to his memory.”
That love is clearly present through the project as Hill channels Jones’ spirit on each of the banjo-filled cuts. The album, released via Green Fly Productions, features mostly playful tunes, with Hill tackling vocals and instrumentation.
Highlights include the quirky, family-tree-focused title track, the furiously picked “Mountain Dew” and an ode to the banjo that is “Let Me Hear the Banjo.” There is a slight detour to less upbeat territory for the the breakup ballad “My Heart is Like a Train,” but it is so light and catchy that its melancholy nature does not slow down the record’s momentum.
With 16 tracks totaling over 34 minutes, the album zips by and is easy to digest. However, the singular focus of the album brings a disadvantage for some listeners. While the songs are all composed well and are enjoyable to hear in passing, some can seem to run together when giving the record a hard listen. This is especially apparent in the last section of I’m My Own Grandpa, a string of songs that are far too similar to one another.
That’s but a tiny gripe about this heartfelt tribute to a country legend, which certainly succeeds at its intention to honor its subject. The songs are light and fun, regardless of whether you’re familiar with Grandpa Jones; longtime fans might even find their new favorite versions of some old standards among these well-executed covers.
Randy Hill’s I’m My Own Grandpa is available on Spotify, iTunes Amazon and YouTube.
