Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen are at the forefront of the current wave of artists defining what bluegrass means in the 21st century. Their new album IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT proves the four members are true innovators with some of the best chops in the business and a band sound that is finely honed from years of touring. Lead vocalist and mandolinist Frank Solivan has a talent for finding songs that expand the parameters of the genre and, together with his bandmates, brings the technical dexterity that makes their forays beyond traditional bluegrass so successful.
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen deliver their third and most impressive release IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT on the heels of a Grammy nomination and multiple IBMA awards including 2016’s Instrumental Group of the Year. The new 10-song collection, co-produced by Grammy-winning banjoist and Compass co-founder Alison Brown offers a vibrant mix of songs, from the traditional “Lena” featuring the mid-Atlantic bluegrass vocals of Danny Paisley and Dudley Connell to the neo-old timey “Crooked Eye John”, written by Cris Jacobs and featuring the inimitable fiddling of label mate Michael Cleveland to the compelling lead-off track “Crave” co-written by Frank and Becky Buller and showcasing the guitar prowess of Chris Luquette. “Crave” will have an exclusive radio premiere this Friday, November 16th on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction. The band also delivers a compelling rendition of Steely Dan’s “Rikki” featuring the lead vocals of Jeremy Middleton, the catchy “ Be Sure” written by Frank Solivan and the red-hot instrumental “Crack of Noon” penned by banjoist Mike Munford. Taken as a whole, IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT is an album with legs and one that is bound to influence the future evolution of bluegrass music.
“Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen have certainly ranked among the “buzz” bluegrass bands…a razor sharp, confident quartet influenced by a broad range of the last four decades of bluegrass music.” —Bluegrass Unlimited
“Frank Solivan just keeps getting better, as a songwriter, arranger, singer and, not the least, instrumentalist.” —Bluegrass Today