Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson are expanding their musical careers by releasing their first joint album, “Pick Your Poison,” under their own name, Benson. The album is set to be released on March 31st, 2023 on Mountain Home Music Company. Four successful singles have already been released by the mandolin and banjo duo. The album will feature Dolby Atmos spatial audio, providing a surround sound experience that can be streamed on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL.
Wayne Benson (mandolin) says about the album: “COVID changed a lot of things for musicians, and not all of them were bad. I don’t think we would have ever recorded this album, if we had just kept moving along normally, but COVID created some opportunities. For us, we thought the chance to record together with the downtime would be a good idea.”
Kristin adds: “We’re 22 years into our marriage, and this is our first joint effort musically, so it was a fun, new venture. Mickey Gamble at Mountain Home encouraged us to do this, and we’re so glad we did. It’s yet another blessing, and we’re very thankful for the opportunity.”
The Bensons took advantage of the opportunity to release their album and brought together a group of friends and colleagues to create a diverse set list. The group includes former bandmates, long-time friends, and more recent additions to their circle. The album showcases not just the Bensons’ instrumental skills, but also their artistic depth and maturity. While the album includes a few instrumental numbers, the majority of the tracks showcase the Bensons’ shared musical sensibility and offer surprises.
The album offers a mix of traditional bluegrass and a variety of other genres, including a Beatles cover and country hits. The diversity of the album reflects the breadth of the Bensons’ musical interests and the group’s collective talents.
Cody Kilby (Travelin’ McCourys) on guitar and Mickey Harris (Rhonda Vincent & The Rage) on both lead and harmony vocals, long-time friends Jamie Johnson (vocals), Jim VanCleve (fiddle) and Jon Weisberger (bass), singers Grayson Lane and Heath Williams, bassist Paul Watson (Carley Arrowood Band) and ace drummer Tony Creasman.
“We’re really proud of how this album turned out,” says Kristin. “The players and singers did an outstanding job and the roster mainly consists of longtime friends.”
Adds Wayne, “This record is a nice mixture of us, musically. It isn’t exactly what Kristin would do or what I would do. I’m glad we documented a collaboration between the two of us.“
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.