Wires And Wood
The Johnny Staats Project arrives riding a wave of big-time media acclaim (The New York Times,People, CBS, and NBC, to name a few) and big-time expectations for Staats as a mandolin savior. JudgeWires & Woodby that criteria and you may never find it a satisfying listen. However, when you finally grasp the idea that this is a debut record from a heretofore amateur musician and full-time UPS driver in West Virginia, you start to realize thatWires & Woodis an amazing achievement. Backed by many of Nashville's finest players, Staats nimbly balances a number of styles ranging from straight-ahead bluegrass to Celtic reels to gentle lullabies to thoughtful folk. He's well versed in the "jazzgrass" style popularized by folks likeDavid Grisman, offering several crafty, cunning instrumentals that prove him to be a surprisingly evocative and engaging composer. At the heart of it all, of course, is Staats's astonishing mandolin work: it's incredibly fleet and fluid, boasting clarity, precision, and taste at even the most ridiculous speeds. He doesn't resort to pet licks and there rarely seems to be a superfluous note amid the torrent. He's also a rich, honey-voiced tenor singer, even if his voice is not his greatest strength; at the very least, his earnest vocal songs give you a chance to catch your breath. Ultimately, the Staats Project may not do anything that the Grisman Quintet or theTony Rice Unitdidn't do 25 years ago, but the fact that he does it as well says quite a bit about this no-longer-hidden talent.--Marc Greilsamer