The rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon we call the “supergroup” began back in 1969 when Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker of Cream teamed up with Steve Winwood of Traffic to create what is widely considered the first supergroup. Since then, there have been many of these, some good, some mediocre, but all gaining a lot of publicity due to their status.

Now, from three well-established jambands comes The Contribution, made up of Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth, Jeff Miller and Phil Ferlino of New Monsoon, and Keith Moseley and Jason Hann of String Cheese Incident. The Americana-tinged music on their debut album “Which Way World,” which hit stores last week, is diverse and unpredictable, offering exceptional chops that never seem to overshadow the fine songwriting.

Albeit primarily Americana if one was to categorize it, there are without a doubt elements of jazz, rock, bluegrass, blues and more pervading this fine debut. Carbone, who has been working constantly as a producer (Great American Taxi, Greensky Bluegrass, Boris Garcia, David Gans, etc.) as well as a musician (he’s recently played with Bruce Springsteen in addition to touring with Railroad Earth), has once again shown what an amazing human he is in his work on The Contribution, a band originally formed by him with the New Monsoon boys.

When bassist Keith Moseley and percussionist Jason Hann of String Cheese Incident expressed interest, the band was solidified. Interestingly enough, you can hear all three bands’ influences in this collaboration.

If you’re a fan of Railroad Earth, New Monsoon, or String Cheese Incident, you’ll find something to love about “Which Way World.”

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