Hootenanny
Dedication, precision, and grace can happily coexist with frivolity and creativity, as flat-picking guitarist David Grier has proved often in the past. Combining incredible technique, masterful timing, plenty of soul, and sheer enjoyment is what Grier does best--Hootenanny, the debut release on his own Dreadnought Recordings, continues this trend. Along with kindred spirits Tim O'Brien (mandolin, fiddle, bouzouki, the occasional off-beat vocal) and Dirk Powell (banjo, fiddle, accordion, bass), Grier invests a wide range of traditional and original material with a distinct old-time flair. The pared-down arrangements give Grier ample space to make his statements, whether with lighting-quick but unhurried leads or with nifty supporting passages. Speedy fiddle tunes accompany down-home blues, winsome ballads, and vibrant reels and rags. As usual, he makes the decades-old sound refreshingly new, and his remarkable guitar work seems to only improve with time, the function of a man who rarely takes the instrument off his neck.--Marc Greilsamer