Having three gentlemen singers who have arresting voices is their first enviable advantage – Wayne Taylor, Tim Stafford and Shawn Lane all able to carry the singing, while pinning their harmonies on the gravel of Jason Burleson’s bass. Taylor is the musical parentheses on their sound, singing lead and playing upright bass. Rob Ickes echoes melodies with subtle rather than flashy slide work on resonator guitar.

Having a line-up with the chops they do, across all classic bluegrass instruments, is Blue Highway’s second stroke of good fortune. Lane, Burleson and Ickes are all multi-instrumentalists, and their discrete playing is seamless with one another after 14 years of trading licks, like a quiet conversation among friends who agree about their subject.
Blue Highway also has three songwriters, and their pre-occupations stand up to the history of Bluegrass as a music of the working American, with “Homeless Man,” “My Ropin’ Days Are Done” and “Where Did The Morning Go” keeping faith with the reality around us. But the standout story is “Two Soldiers” and anyone who has lost a loved one to the current prolonged trouble in Iraq will tremble to hear it. And there are many perfect musical moments on the recording, such as the loping unison lines upon which “Sycamore Hollow” runs free.

Through The Window of A Train holds a set of thoughtful songs that will stand up to both live and radio performance for years to come.