This old dirt road leads to coal country: steam trains on the green hills, rocking chair evenings, black dust, warm cabins, and the town dance. Renowned dulcimer player Rick Thum and his top-shelf lineup of musicians take you back to the sweeter parts of life in 1930s Appalachia, where fiddled dance tunes and poignant ballads eased the hardships of a simpler, tougher life. They do it with a perfect mix of time-tested period tunes and new songs about the olden days, smoking live instrumental jams and passionate songs carefully crafted one layer at a time. This is an album of highly skilled musicians playing with real heart, a heady draught of nostalgia well worth a little hard-earned scrip.