Soulgrass? It was the baritone sax in “Hard Livin’” that made me squint my eyes and perked my ears. Yeah, horns and banjos, a backbeat and a mandolin, and a little spiky electric guitar clucking away in the back isn’t all that foreign for a band like Railroad Earth, along with the ever present Garcia-ness in the vocals. But where’d that “Band” like groove come from? And those soul/gospel elements pushing the tune along? Curious.

Railroad Earth continue mining the fields of all they do best, but with Amen Corner there’s a new ripple to the whole affair, a kind of looseness and abandon that feels, well, pretty good. First hint? The off the cuff intro of “Been Down This Road.” Further proof? “Bringin’ My Baby Back Home” rumbles and rattles along like a rickety farm truck down a dusty back road, while the honkytonk snap of “Waggin’ The Dog” hints at a little “Lay Down Sally” in its driving main riff and slippery country guitar. It’s not that anything about the band prior to this album was “stiff” in any way. The 2006 live release, Elko, certainly wasn’t a bit. But they’re downright scruffy here, calling to mind a little mid nineties Jayhawks at one moment, some Petty elsewhere, as on the album closer “Lovin’ You.”

The wisdom of years gone by, of ups and downs, struggles and victories serve as common threads through many of the tunes collected here. From the days of being “down when nothing matters/and you’re knockin’ every bottle down/stumble in every place in town with an open door” in “Been Down This Road Before” to the woeful, lost lament of “All Alone” you’ll find lyrics that often, despite outward appearances, find (or at least are looking for) hope amongst the troubles. “You Never Know” finds some comfort — and humor — in the occasional randomness of things, and what bluegrass-influenced album would be complete without an instrumental that lets everybody stretch their fingers a bit? That’s found in the lilt and bounce of “Lonecroft Ramble.” But not to worry: there’s fine picking to be found on most of the songs here, though more reined in than that of Elko.

The charging drama of “Crossing The Gap” finds mandolinist John Skehan and violinist Tim Carbone twisting around each in the opening melody, as well as bubbling acoustic work all the way through from Sheaffer. “The Forecast” takes its time to build, shifting through a few moods before settling into a surprisingly bluesy verse. This song is more reminiscent of the familiar elements of RRE’s style, though the shimmery electric guitar in the chorus and the trippy flute harmonies are unexpected flavors. The droning, almost psychedelic outro foretells some fine opportunities for extended improvisation onstage; something the band excels at. Seeing what the group does with the adventurous set of tunes on this particular album, considering the more roots and Americana oriented feel on many of them, is where the real intrigue lies.

Amen Corner is a solid, nicely recorded album from the guys in RRE: one that shows them more comfortable in their collective skin than ever before. Mix this with the ever- growing songwriting skills of Todd Sheaffer, and Amen Corner might just be one of the best things the band has put out yet. For fans of the band already, this is a no-brainer. But if this disc serves as an introduction to Railroad Earth for some of you, it’s a darn fine place to start.

(Chris Cooper can be reached at thumbpick43@yahoo.com)