King Wilkie

King Wilkie takes its name from Bill Monroe’s favorite horse, but the musical horse it rides is closer in style to Flatt and Scruggs’ squeaky-clean fiddle-and-banjo-driven sound than it is to Monroe’s percussive, bluesy, hard-driving gallop. This is a talented and promising group of young musicians, all of them still in their 20s, and a great band to see live. The sweet harmonies, Jimmie Rodgers-inspired yodeling and tight arrangements are sure to make King Wilkie the season’s festival favorites. But Broke feels a little hidebound to bluegrass tradition, even on its seven originals, and risks making the band seem like a nostalgia act. On this first CD, adhering too closely to the past causes whatever might be unique about King Wilkie to get lost in the mix.