From the September/October 2002 issue of Flatpicking Guitar magazine:

Too Blue: A Little On The Blue Side. Reviewed by Dave McCarty

Female flatpickers have an unfair advantage over us guys, if you think about it. Most guys are so competitive and driven that deep inside, we're all convinced that if we work hard enough at our playing we could be, if not the next Tony Rice or Clarence White, then maybe another Allen Shadd or Mark Cosgrove. Most women, of course, are much too smart to ever believe that they can achieve such exalted technique, so they typically concentrate on making the best-sounding, most musical guitar playing possible.

That's certainly the case with Betsy Rome, well known for her frequent and lucid contributions to the FLATPICK-L list and the subject of a recent profile in FGM. As guitarist with New York-based Too Blue, Betsy plays her 1985 Brazilian Santa Cruz Tony Rice guitar with a direct, highly effective approach. She's not flashy, but that's her strength. Clever, insightful intros, outros, solos and backup parts flow from her guitar like a blue mountain brook rollicking downstream. Everything about her playing is catchy and infectious, the sign of a total pro. Her solo on "Too Good To Be Bad" hits just the right feel for the tune's swingy tempo.

Her band's new CD, "A Little On The Blue Side," includes 13 original tunes written by Rome and banjoist Joan Harrison. Stylistically, the recording includes some uptempo, bouncy bluegrass and some catchy swing tunes played on mandolin, guitar, bass, banjo and fiddle. Joan and Betsy share the vocal chores, giving the band a sound reminiscent of the later, great Good Ole Persons.

Putting together a CD of all-original material poses a great challenge to any band, and for the most part, the tunes here stand up very well. "Two Dogs" is a very clever story of two lovers trying to find a way to get along, while "Too Little Too Late" recreates the kind of swinging bluegrass popularized by some of the early brother duets. All in all, both women clearly know what makes a great song and how to deliver it effectively.

Instrumentally, the band shines. Harrison is a fine banjo player, and Michael Sassano's mandolin is equally effective. Guest fiddler Joyce Andersen artfully walks the line between swing and bluegrass fiddling. Rome's guitar, though, really carries the day. Filled with clever slides, double-stops, cross-picking and other melody-enhancing techniques, she has an exceptional feel for laying the right phrase down at the right time.

Too Blue makes an auspicious debut with this CD, offering clever songs, good singing, strong instrumentals and great flatpicking in a well-recorded package. After a few listens to this one, I predict the hyper competitive boys out there will be copping more than a few licks from Ms. Rome, if they can.

Song list: The Leaving Kind; Blue Side; Two Dogs; Start All Over; Three Rivers; When The Bloom Is Off The Rose; Too Good To Be Bad; Morning Dew; Too Little Too Late; Brand New Blues; Emma's Dilemma; Bad News; Full Time Job