CD Review

Bryan Sutton may not be a household name. He may not even be known to many self-described music-lovers. Perhaps because he has chosen to be a session man for so long, or possibly because he dabbles in genres that generally don’t receive top-40 radio play (traditional country, folk &bluegrass). But to the musicians and music critics locked into the depths of those acoustic scenes, make no mistake about it: Sutton is considered one of the greatest guitar players alive today. A quick look at the guitarists who sit by his side on this album should illuminate this point.

With a list of duet partners that include Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs, Norman Blake, Earl Scruggs, and Jerry Douglas, among others, you get what you might expect out of Sutton’s third solo release: back-porch, acoustic melodies so pure, and technically sound, it’s possible to listen to this album for an entire day on ‘repeat’ and never get sick of it. With no vocals on the record, the dynamic range of Sutton’s picking, along with whomever he is accompanied by on each given track, provide the perfect lazy-summer soundtrack. I refuse to call it background music though; such a label suggests the music is not necessarily worth a close, critical listen, which would be an unfair and entirely inaccurate account of the music contained here. Clearly, even the snobbiest pickers will be in awe of new takes on such traditional numbers as Merle Travis’ “The Nine Pound Hammer,” Vassar Clements’ “Lonesome Fiddle Blues,” and the classic picking tune, “Whiskey Before Breakfast.”

For more info see: bryansutton.com