Many people seem to have a visceralreaction against bluegrass: it's hick music theythink, or cowboy music at the very least. Theyseem to feel that banjos, fiddles, and mandolinsshould have been relegated to the trash can ofhistory.
Now, I have my suspicions that these peoplehave never actually heard a bluegrass album, or atleast not one that is as manifestly wonderful asTony Rice's latest release, Tony Rice Sings andplays Bluegrass.
Rice has moved Fluidly back and forth betweenthe more traditional bluegrass featured on thisalbum and the experimental, instrumental musicoften epitomized by mandolinist David Grisman'sDawg music. Rice was the guitarist in the classicGrisman quintet of the 70s, and his own entirelyinstrumental Backwaters is one of the mostexquisitely beautiful albums ever recorded.
This album is a sort of look back at thehistory of bluegrass, featuring classic bluegrasshits of the 40s and 50s played by some of the topacoustic musicians of today. Every track is asperfect as one could hope. This album was recordedcold with no rehearsals or predeterminedarrangements, and the excitement and vitalitypractically burn their way through the songs.
While Rice' mind-blowingly fast and perfectlyclear finger-picking style pervade every song,some of the tracks stand out. Rice's solo on"Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" amazesthe listener with its speed; at the same time itsounds as if it would retain all of its sparklingbrilliance and originality even if slowed down tohalf the speed. The album's opener, "I've WaitedAs Long As I can" highlights both Rice's lead andrhythm playing and his band's rich harmony vocaltechniques.
So if you don't listen to bluegrass, thinkabout exploring some new possibilities. If youwon't even do this, go screw.