Customer Reviews

Clawhammer Guitar: The Collection

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This recording provides a wonderful range of great guitar playing, from Alec Stone Sweet's effortless, almost ethereal lyricism to Michael Stadler's funkier style, full of sly rhythmic surprises.

All-instrumental CDs can sometimes pale from a certain sameness to the tracks. Thanks to the varied styles of four different guitarists, this recording avoids that problem. In particular, I love the contrast of the first two tunes. After Sweet's bouncy, polished-to-a-sheen rendition of a Tommy Jarrell fiddle tune, Stadler's rhythmically angular and propulsive medley of Finnish tunes almost causes backlash. Oh, but it hurts so good! I have trouble imagining anyone, Finnish or otherwise, not wanting to get up and move to so eminently (not to say Eminem-ly) danceable music.

My favorite of Steve Baughman's tunes is "Han Shan Temple", which evokes a beautiful and stately serenity, like letting one's eyes wander over a Chinese painting. Jody Stecher's playing has, for me, the purist old-timey, clawhammer banjo-like sound, especially on the medley that begins with "Eighteen Pounds of Meat a Week" (theme song of the Atkin's Diet Cloggers?). In fact, on first listening, the CD wasn't as reminiscent of clawhammer banjo playing as I'd expected it to be. But that's probably because of the different tonal quality of banjo and guitar. As I listen more, that rolling, unstoppable - nay, ineluctable! - rhythmic drive becomes clear.

My only quibble is with what comes across to me as a slight "notiness" - that is, too much of a good thing - on a few of the cuts. The virtuosity is exhilirating, but occasionally I find myself wondering how a couple of tunes would sound with just a little more breathing room in them. In any case, this ain't your grandpa's clawhammer playing (which, for some listeners, may be a virtue!).

This is one of those albums that serves well both as background music and for concerted listening. I often put it on while I'm working and just let the inexhaustible liveliness of the rhythms propel me along in my tasks. But when I stop to listen more carefully, I'm continually impressed by the depth of the musical material here, not to mention the quality of the playing.