In the burgeoning realms of bluegrass, newgrass and all things Americana, the competition continues to increase exponentially. This is the realm of new populism after all, and it’s fostered bands of surprising variety, groups whose music stays true to traditional trappings while also opening up expanded possibilities for mainstream success.

Steep Canyon Rangers are successfully riding that wave, thanks mainly to their creative invention, as well as their musical association with Steve Martin and a Best Bluegrass Album Grammy win for their exemplary
2013 offering, Tell the Ones I Love. Radio, the band’s ninth album to date, offers further insight into their melodic prowess, rollicking rhythms and astute instrumental interplay. Produced by Jerry Douglas, it spotlights the robust vocals of guitarist Woody Platt and  banjo player Graham Sharp, and the fearless performances of bassist Charles R. Humphrey, mandolin player Mike Guggino, percussionist Mike Ashworth and fiddler Nicky Sanders. Several songs are destined to become Steep standbys, with “Radio,” “Diamonds in the Dust,” “Break,” “Blow Me Away” and “Monumental Fool” among the best of the bunch.

On the other hand, TRAD+ deviates from the standard roots regimen. Helmed by Infamous Stringdusters banjo player Chris Pandolfi and drummer Nick Falk, Interference features occasional contributions from bassist Oteil Burbridge and singer Tania Katz, although Pandolfi handles the bulk of the instrumentation. Several songs come across as spontaneous, jazzy jams bolstered by atmospheric ambiance, while others—“Lucky 84,” “Underwater Canyon” and “Ballad of Earl Parrot”—are strikingly engaging in execution, similar in style to both Béla Fleck and latter-day Dead. An intriguing initial offering, it suggests that TRAD+ is a work in progress.