Based out of Franklin, OH, the group, which included Tim Shelton (guitar), Rob Baker, Jr. Williams (banjo), and Tim Caudill (bass), decided at the start to keep a traditional acoustic bluegrass sound anchored by strong vocal harmonies. When Caudill left the band, he was replaced by Randy Barnes, who had previously played with Rhonda Vincent. The group recorded a pair of gospel albums with producer Ben Isaacs, including 2003's Full Heart, released by Crossroads Records. The third album, though, 2005's Somewhere Between, took NFR in a decidedly secular direction, and the band ended up signing with Rounder Records, which released Life in a Song in 2006. By the time of NFR's second Rounder release, 2009's Same Old Place, the lineup of the band included Shelton and Williams along with Joe Booker on mandolin and Jamey Booher on bass. Their sound remained the same, though, sticking close to a traditional bluegrass style. ~ Steve Leggett