I’ve heard country music and I’ve heard honky-tonk music. I’ve even heard the two styles played with multiple instruments one instrument being the banjo. Actually the banjo is almost a given for a decent honky-tonk song at times. But with Emmitt Nershi Band they have thrown in a instrument that surprised me, the mandolin. Yes, I said the mandolin and don’t worry the banjo is in there as well, along with the violin.

All the ingredients for a good country/honky-tonk band is there on the CD New Country Blues by Emmitt Nershi Band. Aside from the artsy looking cover of the CD case this CD did more than surprise me with the mandolin. The songs played on here are done really well. When that first song played I was almost laughing cause my first thought that came to me was being in the high hills of West Virginia but then I stopped the thought and set to work in listening to the songs.

Each song has decent and easy enough lyrics to follow. There’s no hidden meaning that only the singer can make sense of when I listened to the song ‘These Days’, ‘Road of Destruction’, or any of the others. What I liked the most though from the songs was that even with the honky-tonk sound they had, even with the banjo, and especially even with the mandolin, the songs were just fun to listen to.
I wouldn’t say that Emmitt Nershi Band will become the next band that will last for 30 years and still be as huge a hit as they were when first playing, but I won’t say they are bad band either. The songs are all fun to listen to, they make you want to tap you foot and slap you knee, and best yet they can be easily learned to sing along with while in the car. The vocals on all the songs are smooth, comfortable, and the members singing all mesh well together. Not only all that but the shortest song is just over 3 minutes long where the majority of the songs last at least 5 minutes. With songs that are fun and being long enough to get the enjoyment out of them without being overbearing, Emmitt Nershi Band has made me like to have a honky-tonk CD in my collection.