Country Standard Time CD Review
"Acoustic-based country seemed to be a lost art on the radio until Ryan
Shupe and his RubberBand came along with the soft-spoken "Dream Big" -
a folksy "I Hope You Dance" world of peeled back
guitar-and-mandolin-layered positive affirmation. On first blush,
"Dream Big" is a pleasant relief sandwiched between Brooks & Dunn
and Gretchen Wilson. Yet, there's more where that came from.
Shupe, a Utah native whose songs lean more toward a glass half full of
milk than a half-empty glass of whiskey, has a band that jams like
NewGrass Revival. Craig Miner's soaring Bela Fleck-esque banjo runs
mingle with Shupe's mandolin, and Shupe has packaged the picking with
smart, tight lyrics and tenor vocals that's part John Cowan and part
Jason Mraz.
It's the essence of Shupe and his band - high-spirited, well-played
acoustic tunes offering a positive slice of life. And it still has a
place on the radio.
- Rick Bell"