Hold to a Dream

Untitled

Hold to a Dream is an album by the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, released in 1987. The lead-off single "Unconditional Love" reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In 1988, "Can't Stop Now" reached number 45. The band who originated the term "newgrass" continued their progressive bluegrass stylings on this fine album. As their work grew, the band explored new textures and instrumentation, including the use of fretless bass on Bela Fleck's jazz-inspired "Metric Lips" and the sea shanty roll of Pat Flynn's "I'll Take Tomorrow." Lead singer John Cowan is expressive but still relatively restrained (compared to some of his other recordings), and the interplay between Fleck's banjo and Sam Bush's fiddle or mandolin really sparks. While this album drifts closer to their contemporary country side than their bluegrass roots, it certainly makes for an entertaining listen.

Hold to a Dream was remastered and reissued on CD, on February 20, 2001 on the Southern Music label.

Track listing

1. "Hold to a Dream" (O'Brien) – 3:38
2. "One Way Street" (O'Brien) – 2:50
3. "Can't Stop Now" (Gary Nicholson, Wendy Waldman) – 4:01
4. "I'll Take Tomorrow" (Pat Flynn) – 2:56
5. "Before the Heartache Rolls In" (Radney Foster, Bill Lloyd) – 5:23
6. "Looking Past You" (Flynn) – 2:57
7. "How About You" (Jesse Winchester) – 4:26
8. "Metric Lips" ( Béla Fleck) – 4:37
9. "I Can Talk to You" (Flynn) – 3:22
10. "Unconditional Love" (Don Cook, Gary Nicholson) – 3:21

Personnel

• Sam Bush - guitar, mandolin, fiddle, vocals
• Pat Flynn - guitar, vocals
• Béla Fleck - banjo, vocals
• John Cowan - vocals, bass

Additional musicians:

• Eddie Bayers – drums
• Bob Mater – drums
• Tom Roady – percussion

Production notes

• Garth Fundis – producer
• Denny Purcell – mastering
• Bil VornDick – engineer
• Caroline Greyshock – photography
• Henry Marquez – art direction