Customer Reviews

Flatpicking Favorites: Hot & Spicy

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Do you like the sound of an acoustic guitar? Do you like the way it sounds when someone with really great technique picks one? Do you like the sound of somebody really hot burning the ever-living hide on a white-hot guitar? "Red Hot" really does not begin to do justice to the recordings represented here.

Dan Miller of Flatpicking Magazine noticed that when people came to him and asked "Can You Recommend a Recording of just really hot flatpicking?" - He had no answer. Certainly there have been hot flatpickers before this recording. All the artists on this recording have made their mark - (Why else would they have been invited?) But I agree with Mr. Miller when he wrote that he thinks this CD will be a landmark: People who want to hear hot guitar picking will turn to this CD for years. There are two "holy grail" awards for flatpickers: The National Flatpicking Championship (held annually at Winfield, Kansas) and the International Bluegrass Musician's Association Guitar Player of the Year Award. This recording includes 7 Winfield Champions and 4 IBMA Winners. Their styles vary, but Dan told them all - "Play it Hot, Fast and Spicy" - and these players took off the brakes, let the hammer down and burned every one of these tunes down to the ground. The tunes chosen are "flatpicking 101": Tunes that most flatpickers learn and share in parking-lot jam sessions lasting hours. On this recording these "standard" tunes are turned into something special.

You can read the players and the tunes yourself: But reading doesn't do justice to music, does it?

What are you waiting for? Get this CD and turn it up!

This album excels at several things. It presents a variety of top-notch flatpickers playing in an inventive & uninhibited setting. It provides a wide tonal palette of flatpicked guitars. It displays the impressive arranging abilities of the showcased players. If you are interested in the flatpicked guitar, this album should be in your collection. If you are a flatpicker, this album should be inyour collection. If you are interested in how to arrange traditional tunes in a fresh way, this album should be in your collection. If you are looking for some hot picking and fun instrumental tunes, this album should be in your collection.

so it's a shame I could only give it 2 stars. While I am familiar with most of these artists, and generally like their respective styles,I am amazed that this example is so poor. Speed doesn't mean quality, and most of these cuts simply sound messy. It's ok to show off, but a jumble of notes at top speed just falls flat. This CD reminds me of the Doc Watson/Bill Monroe collaboration that is pure fast with little accuracy. I really like Bull Harman's version of Arkansas Traveller, however. I have better, more listenable versions of the other choices. Eric Thompson's Forked Deer, and Panhandle Rag are much much better. Dan Crary and JP Cormier are blazingly fast, and a lot more coherent. Steve Kaufman usually sounds a lot better than here, as does Sutton and Nygaard. Flynn Cohen is great too. Sometimes "tired old traditional" isn't so bad.