Reviewed by Dave Brassington

The Isaacs, currently comprising of mother Lily, son Ben and daughters, surprisingly enough, Becky and Sonya, are a family group with a strong bluegrass sound. Norway has long been a receptive region for American country music and judging by the wildly enthusiastic audience on this DVD, the decision to record a live album here has proved to be a good one. What is immediately noticeable is that the current family line up has been enhanced by the addition of a very fine young fiddler player Jesse Stockman. There are 19 tracks in all, many of them being numbers that The Isaacs have put out lately and the intricate way that the backing supports the superb lead vocals of Becky and Sonya produces a unique sound. I particularly enjoyed "I Surrender All", "Through The Valley" and "It is Well With My Soul" which is movingly introduced by Sonya. Ben does a lead on the catchy "Love Is A Cross You Bear" and the album is rounded out in real bluegrass style with "He Ain't Never Done Me Nothin' But Good". There are also some location shots of Norway and the DVD includes a very moving visit to Bergen Belsen where Lily Isaacs' mother was imprisoned during the Second World War. What makes The Isaacs so outstanding is that both Becky and Sonya are two really good singers whose alto and soprano voices respectively blend into such a unique sound.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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