The Appalachian mountains were the birthplace of bluegrass, and in the last couple of decades Asheville, N.C., has been fertile ground for the formation of some of the best bluegrass bands existing today.

Score another one for Asheville, as Bobby Miller and the Virginia Dare Devils have released their first album of traditional bluegrass after several years of wowing audiences in the region. The band is led by mandolin master Bobby Miller, a Georgia boy who ended up in Asheville by way of Virginia. Along the way, he learned of the tale of Virginia Dare, the first person of English descent born in the New World. Inspired by the legend (read about it in the liner notes), he named his new band after her.

Virginia would be proud, as the Dare Devils are one heck of a band. “Brother, Adieu” is the first album from this group of stellar musicians, and it delivers in grand style. Produced by Miller and fellow Dare Devil Dobro master Billy Cardine, this collection of traditional bluegrass tunes, original music, and a couple of choice covers showcases the talents of each musician in the band, who combine to create a very special blend of styles that takes the band beyond traditional into the exceptional.

These guys aren’t just great players, they are emotionally invested in the music, as you can practically hear the joy coming off their instruments. A band’s love of their music is often intangible, but the Dare Devils approach traditional songs with such reverence and enthusiasm it is apparent they are deeply involved with their songs. The originals are well-written and significant, and their covers of John Hartford’s “Scotland/I’m Still Here” and The Beatles’ “She Said She Said” show great creativity in their arrangements and deep admiration for the respective composers in their remarkable treatments.

All in all, Bobby Miller and the Virginia Dare Devils have created, in “Brother, Adieu,” the finest album of bluegrass music I’ve heard this year.

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