Wonderland from Martha Spencer out on 2 Sept. 2022 (update)

Martha Spencer visited Ireland in 2014 as a young member of the Whitetop Mountain Band from the Virginia mountains. A multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and an outstanding singer, she is now developing her solo career, following an acclaimed debut album (2018) with her new album Wonderland, due for release this coming Friday (2 Sept.). The album, half of which is original material, demonstrates the range of songs she can deliver with complete confidence and power. A video of the title track can be seen on the Hearth Music press release and on YouTube.

The Whitetop Mountain Band website shows (above) the band's current lineup. A photo of the band on their 2014 visit to Ireland can be seen here.

Update 2 Sept.: Henry Carrigan's very favourable review, 'Martha Spencer makes traditional-tinted magic on ‘Wonderland’', with two YouTube videos from the album, is now on No Depression.

Update 13 Oct.: The album has now been reviewed by Braeden Paul on Bluegrass Today, with a playlist of samples from all tracks.

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Fiddler and luthier Albert Hash (1917-83) founded the Whitetop Mountain Band. Earlier this month, Dr Malcolm Smith gave a talk at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, TN, on the book he wrote with Edwin Lacy, Appalachian fiddler Albert Hash: the last leaf on the tree, published in 2020 by McFarland Books in their 'Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies' series.

© Richard Hawkins