courtesy of Compass Records

Single Review of Special Consensus: “Been All Around This World” feat. Josh Williams, Robbie Fulks, Ashby Frank (Compass Records)

Special Consensus, winners of multiple IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, showcase a wide variety of picking styles, tempos, and vocal deliveries on the engaging “Been All Around This World,” a song that moves along so quickly it hardly feels as if it’s lasted more than 3 1/2 minutes, though looking back, the band covered so much ground you wonder in retrospect how they fit everything in.

photo courtesy of Compass Records

Current members Greg Blake (guitar, vocals), Brian McCarty (mandolin, vocals), Dan Eubanks (bass, vocals) and Greg Cahill (banjo) are joined on this single by Special Consensus alumni Robbie Fulks, Josh Williams, and Ashby Frank.

“Been All Around This World” starts with a 20-second picking intro before the first lyric. After the first verse, the individual vocals become a harmony, leading to an extended musical solo.

The next verses begin with a key change, a different vocalist, and slightly leveled-up energy, though follow the same pattern of solo vocal first, then harmony, then extended musical solo.

Done yet? Nope. Special Consensus follows the same song structure pattern a third time.

Not a fourth time, though, as the guys alter the pattern a bit to transition to a soft closing.

So, what have we learned from this? Well, when you have seven talented musicians involved, you’re going to get variety. And Special Consensus knows how to keep the energy flowing and make old patterns seem new. It results in a fun song in “Been All Around This World,” and it suggests an outfit that knows how to keep a live performance… well, lively.

From the look of the “Tour” page of the band’s website, if you’re in the United States, they’ll be performing near you at some point this year, perhaps multiple times. Check the band’s website for details.