Claire Lynch - Dear Sister

By any measure, Claire Lynch is high on the roots music world's A-List, with accolades that include two International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Female Vocalist of the Year Awards, two GRAMMY nominations for Best Bluegrass Album, songs recorded by such luminaries as Patty Loveless, The Seldom Scene, Cherryholmes, Kathy Mattea, the Whites and Stephanie Davis, and now the 2012 United States Artists $50,000 Walker Fellowship.'Dear Sister' showcases Lynch and her razor sharp band (Mark Schatz - bass, Matt Wingate - guitar, mandolin, Bryan McDowell - fiddle, mandolin) on a rock- solid, 10-song set of bluegrassy, folk and Americana cuts. Standouts include Doin' Time (with Tim O'Brien on vocals and bouzouki), the title track Dear Sister - an anthemic ballad of the Civil War written by Lynch and Louisa Branscomb that is based on recently discovered historic letters written by a relative of Louisa's - and the Pierce Pettis-penned That Kind of Love.The songs constitute what is possibly Claire's most personal record to date and certainly one of the most broadly accessible albums of her career. Featuring special guests Tim O'Brien, Alison Brown, Rob Ickes, Mark T. Jordan, Larry Atamanuik, and Kenny Malone.