Customer Reviews

Hootenanny

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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This is very gritty, traditional sounding folk jams.......by a virtuostic acoustic flat picker, and it kicks butt.

Minimalist in the instumentation, heavy guitar picking and fiddle playing...it rocks, ...in a down home, county fair and hooteny kind of way.

True to its name.

Grier is something else. This album is great. I really like Lonesome soldier, the house to myself and this one. Bunch of standards done at moderate tempo (nothing too fast). Done very artistically like Grier always does.
My favorite bluegrass instrumental albums: this one, Bela Flecks Drive, Tony Rice Bluegrass guitar album, Brian Sutton's recent stuff.

David Grier .... is the finest flatpicking guitarist in the world today. He has expanded upon the foundation established by Doc Watson, Clarence White, and Tony Rice to bring flatpicking to a new level of innovation. Acoustic Guitar magazine chose Grier as one of only 15 "Artists of the Decade" because of his originality and musicianship. In selecting him, they also selected this CD, Hootenanny, as essential listening.

Because of the trio format used on this CD (Grier is joined by Dirk Powell and Tim O'Brien), Grier's guitar is given ample room to shine. The CD is a mix of traditional tunes and originals. The traditional tunes showcase Grier's ability to rework old chestnuts into something fresh. The original tunes showcase his songwriting abilities and innovative technique. "Have You Ever Been To England" is a favorite and perhaps the best example of Grier's playing, although it's difficult to capture Grier's diversity in a single tune or even a single CD.

Note that if you're having trouble ordering Grier's CDs, they are also available via his web site.

David Grier is a master musician. This is an excellent CD. I want to be just like him if I grow up.