David Long plays bluegrass mandolin with devil-may-care verve and sings original songs invested with the deep soul of a man who has known more than his share of trouble. With mandolin mentor Mike Compton, Long recorded the duo album Stomp in 2006 for bluegrass kingpin David Grisman’s label, Acoustic Disc. But the most personal statement of Long’s art to date is his debut solo album, A Public Record, which features nine originals performed live-in-the-studio by the mandolinist-singer and an ace band in Bristol, Virginia, recorded with the sort of vintage analog gear that the pioneers of country music would’ve recognized. Along with its rousing instrumental work, A Public Record also captures Long’s uncommon individuality as a singer and songwriter, with the album featuring such cathartic highlights as “Comeback Kid,” “Oblivion,” “Before I Hit the Grave” and “Pray That Sunday Never Comes.”