Full Circle
Vassar Clements began his career as a fiddler playing bluegrass  withBill Monroein  1958. He proved to be such a versatile musician that during the next  four decades he played honky-tonk withFaron Young, rock  with theGrateful Dead, and  jazz withStephane  Grappelli. OnFull Circlehe returns to the high lonesome  sound that inspired him to pick up the fiddle all those years ago, but  from the opening track--a cover ofCream's "White  Room" that featuresBéla Fleckon banjo--it's clear this is not an ordinary collection of traditional  bluegrass songs. But even when Clements is exploring acoustic  psychedelia, as he does on "White Room," or giving theBeatles' classic  "Yesterday" a bluegrass makeover, his playing is full of down-home  charm. And when he plays an old bluegrass number like "Your Love Is  Like a Flower," which includes lead vocals byRicky Skaggs, or  joinsJim and Jesse  McReynoldson their classic tune "Hard Hearted," it's a reminder  that he is one of the most inspired country fiddlers to ever draw a  bow.--Michael Simmons