CD Review

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Bryan Sutton Bluegrass Guitar
Review by Brenda Hough  

Songs:

Hangman's Reel
Daley's Reel
The High Road
Big Sandy River
Back Up and Push
Margaret's Waltz
High Heel Shoe
Nelia's Dance
Whippershapper
Roanoke
Beaumont Rag
The Storms Are On The Ocean

Sugar Hill Records
120 31st Avenue North

Nashville TN 27203
www.sugarhillrecords.com


Bryan Sutton's second solo record for Sugar Hill features his superb guitar playing in a collection of traditional and contemporary bluegrass tunes. While he is best known as a former member of Ricky Skaggs' band, Kentucky Thunder, Bryan is a highly sought session player in Nashville who can add guitar, mandolin and banjo to studio recordings.

From the first notes of "Hangman's Reel," Bryan's flatpick pumps out an amazing flourish of notes that will set your toes to dancing. Joining Bryan are Dennis Crouch on bass, Tim Crouch on fiddle, Tim O'Brien on mandolin and Dave Talbot on banjo and rhythm guitar. While Bryan's guitar is always featured on the songs, it's not a solo effort, but a true team band effort. The musicians are all true to the bluegrass tradition where each instrument has its chance to shine in the spotlight and the other instruments provide the setting so that each solo shines. This band approach is more like a finely tuned and coordinated basketball team rather than a baseball team with a series of hitters at bat. The high-powered dance mode continues with "Daley's Reel," "Margaret's Waltz," and "Nelia's Dance" written by Bryan in tribute to Nelia Hyatt's dancing jams. Tim O'Brien's "The High Road" is done as an instrumental and Tim's mandolin solo is particularly lyrical and balanced by Dave' s melodic banjo and Bryan's rhythm punctuated by fill in guitar licks. Bela Fleck's "Whippersnapper" flows like a bubbling brook in Bryan's hands. While "Big Sandy River" and "Beaumont Rag" are recognized by bluegrass fans everywhere, the renditions here are innovative and inspiring and worth hearing over and over. This album will certainly be a contender for instrumental album of the year.

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