Henhouse Prowlers

Chicago five-piece the Henhouse Prowlers have such confidence with the sounds of traditional bluegrass that they reach beyond idyllic twang and rich group vocal harmonies. They’ve got all that down nicely, too, but sound even more distinctive on their second album, 2009’s A Dark Rumor: The lead vocals are surprisingly direct and Midwestern, not bothering with affected accents and, as sweetly as the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass, and dobro play off one another, the music has plenty of drive and very little fat on it. The 2011 release Verse, Chapters, And Rhymes builds on the sound the band explored on previous albums, with a rich sound that swings from the frenzy of the opening of “Don’t Even Say Goodbye” to the layered, wordless melody in “Green.”

Updated 05/09/2012