"When it came to actually hashing out the musical identity of Della Mae, Ludiker and founding mandolinist Jenni Lyn Gardner took a cue from what helped the foundational progressive bluegrass outfit New Grass Revival broaden its audience in the '80s: putting a blue-eyed soul singer out front, as opposed to a vocalist with a high-and-lonesome, rawboned attack. Celia Woodsmith, who'd cut her teeth in blues-rock, became Della Mae's lead singer, bringing with her sensual, theatrical grit.Those three and a revolving cast of additional members ... - released three albums that blended bluegrass sensibilities with the stylistic permissiveness of Americana. The most recent, an accomplished self-titled 2015 set produced by alt-rock specialist Jacquire King, expanded on Appalachian hardiness with chamber-folk arrangements, singer-songwriter introspection, gently atmospheric studio effects and hopped-up blues melodies and rhythms ... On The Butcher Shoppe EP, its return to recording after a hiatus, Della Mae seems to have narrowed its priorities to one: showcasing its combination of playfulness and muscle as a performing unit. Producing themselves, Woodsmith, Gardner, Ludiker and current bassist Zoe Guigueno rolled through six songs in a little more than a day, two of them live favorites culled from the classic-rock and folk canons.
