Arriving two months after the first volume, Cuttin' Grass, Vol. 2: The Cowboy Arms Sessions is cut from the same cloth as its predecessor -- it is largely devoted to Sturgill Simpson revisiting his catalog, reinterpreting his songs as straight bluegrass -- yet it is a distinct album in its own right. Some of this is due to Simpson recording at a different studio this time -- at the Cowboy Arms Hotel, a Nashville institution founded by "Cowboy" Jack Clement -- but much of it is due to Simpson choosing to focus on "personal" songs, many first unveiled on the Grammy-winning 2016 LP A Sailor's Guide to Earth. These tunes weather bluegrass interpretations very well, often sounding as if they were designed to be played this way, and they're buttressed with a clutch of earlier songs, including a revival of the rousing "You Can Have the Crown" and the unreleased high lonesome "Tennessee." The highlight of this batch is "Hobo Cartoon," a song Simpson wrote years ago with Merle Haggard, a wistful bit of nostalgia that functions as a passing of the torch of sorts. It all adds up to a soulful and absorbing record, one that plays off the strengths of the Butcher Shoppe Sessions and deepens the entire bluegrass revisions project.

A1        Call To Arms
A2        Brace For Impact (Live A Little)
A3        Oh Sarah
A4        Sea Stories
A5        Hero
A6        Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)
B1        Jesus Boogie
B2        Keep It Between The Lines
B3        You Can Have The Crown
B4        Tennessee
B5        Some Days
B6        Hobo Cartoon