Customer Reviews

Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Stereo)

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I hadn't heard of Chris Thile when my college sophomore daughter asked me to get her a CD by Nickel Creek for her birthday. Upon investigating the band, I discovered it featured a now 21-year-old mandolin virtuoso. The title of this album was almost enough to make me go out and buy the CD, but when I saw it featured some of my favorite musicians (Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas) I decided to take a chance. Wow! Not since David Grisman's debut twenty-five years ago have I heard such a stunning album. After several listens, it's obvious that Thile was influenced by Grisman as well as Tony Rice and of course Bela Fleck, who co-wrote "Riddles in the Dark." The other 11 compositions are all Thile originals. Thile's music takes the listener on a journey that explores the possiblities of traditional bluegrass instruments in a non-traditional setting. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I got this CD, desperate for any new music similar to Nickel Creek. It's beautiful. I don't know much at all about bluegrass, except to say I don't consider myself much of a fan, so I won't try and make comparisons to other artists or wax philosophical about the details of Chris Thile's playing. All I will say is that it's a remarkable CD, and people who enjoy Nickel Creek will really love it. It's basically a CD full of the type of instrumentals on Nickel Creek's debut. If you are a NC fan hesitant to buy this because you're not sure you will like it, don't hesitate. It will be a great addition to your music collection.

Well, let me be the first to critique Chris Thile's new cd "Not All Who Wander Are Lost".
Simply put, it is a musical explosion. In this album, Chris displays his mandolin playing talent to the full extent. He along with the other superb musicians, including Bryan Sutton, Stuart Duncan, Jerry Douglas, and several others, come together to incorporate their talent and instrumentation on the all but one soley Thile written songs. The songs are unique and completely energy fused. Similar to the Nickel Creek sound, but truly unique. Bluegrass, Jazz, and Classical influences can be used to describe this album. If you are a hardcore bluegrass or country fan, this album will not please your appetite. Instead, it is much more an expression of a young man and his expression of music and sound. Another way to describe this cd is one BIG MUSICAL JAM. Some my favorites are: Song For A Young Queen, Raining at Sunset, Sinai to Canaan-part 1, Eureka, Big Sam Thompson, and Bridal Veil Falls.

In "Not All Who Wander Are Lost," Chris Thile leaves no doubt about his being master of his instrument. He plays in a precise and controlled manner, eliciting tonal variations that most mandolinists probably do not know exist. His ensemble colleagues are peerless, e.g., Edgar Meyer (string bass), Bela Fleck (banjo), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Jeff Coffin (woodwinds), Jerry Douglas (dobro), to name but a few. If the listener enjoys the work of Edgar Meyer--along with Yo-Yo Ma, Mark O'Connor, and cohorts--as evidenced in Meyer's "Appalachian Journey," then purchasing the Thile CD would be logical. If the listener, however, prefers: bluegrass mandolin, forget Thile's work and buy "Wires &Wood" by Johnny Staats; or an acoustic mandolin sound, purchase "Travellers" by Butch Baldassari, Robin Bullock, and John Reischman. Chris Thile is a remarkable talent, be it as a performer or composer (he composed all but one piece [and co-composed, with Bela Fleck. the only other piece]}. Thile's contribution to Nickel Creek is noteworthy, but his contribution to the development of mandolin music will surely be far greater.

I have followed Newgrass for years and love players like Bela Fleck, Mark O'Connor and Jerry Douglas. I also love Jazz, classical and other forms of music. This has to be the best instrumental album I own.

Chris Thile is an absolute genius to me and his playing is as flawless as I could imagine on a mandolin. His accuracy and style make Ricky Skaggs, Sam Bush and others sound like they were hacks. His writings have a rich complexity about them, transcend the genre, and are as good as his playing. He is even better in person and he compares well to early concerts I saw with Mark O'Connor.

Don't worry if you are typically not a bluegrass fan, this is an instrumentalists dream album. The more I listen to it, the more I like it. I would only like to see him break out and play with some more non-bluegrass types. He might revolutionize some jazz genre's like he is doing with newgrass instrumentalists. If I were other bluegrass mandolinists I would not buy this album because it might force me to throw away my instrument.

Of course it only helps that he is playing with some of the best players in the world on this album. I only wish Mark O'Connor was on this. A duo album with Mark would be one for all time.

I followed a short path to this album. After being turned on through Nickel Creek, I came to this album. I was stunned with the musicianship and energy of the compositions and the players. Chris is amazing, but so are his cohorts: Douglas, Fleck, Meyers, Duncan. But after listening to this album 50 times, I wanted more and began to check out the other works of his collaborators. From "Tales from the acoustic planet (Fleck)" to "Uncommon ritual (Meyers and Fleck)" to a half dozen others, I found much that is worthy, but nothing that compares. The mandolin is the best newgrass lead instrument and Chris is the master, His precision as a writer and arranger have no equal. This music is so life giving! The only thing that comes close is his previous albums ("Stealing second" with Douglas and Duncan)and Leading off.

It's difficult to talk about Chris Thile and not think back to the Chicago Tribune concert review that called him "A force of nature with a flatpick; To say Thile is as staggering a talent as has ever come out of bluegrass would be too limiting--few have emerged from any genre that compare with Thile's brilliance." I couldn't agree more. There are scant geniuses walking the earth today who can even approach Chris Thile's combination of "gift" and work ethic. He could have stopped when he was 12 and still be thought of as the world's pre-eminent mandolinist for the remainder of his life. Lucky for us, he didn't stop.

For this project Chris gathered other musicians who are undisputed masters of their instruments: Bela Fleck on banjo. Jerry Douglas on Dobro. Bryan Sutton on guitar. Stuart Duncan on fiddle. Edgar Meyer on bass. At the moment I can't imagine a collection of string musicians with more virtuosity. They get turned loose on 12 of Chris' original compositions. The results are spectacular. All instrumentals - this collection covers a wide range of material. Some hot and spicy bluegrass breakdowns. Some slower pieces. All good.

Get it.

The best instrumental album I have heard in a long time. Original, heartfelt, imaginative. This is a brilliant musician gifted beyond his years and everyone's music collection would be enriched by owning this album.

Like a mystical magician, Chris Thile seems to conjure the notes out of thin air. While I am one of those who would have enjoyed a couple of vocals like Nickel Creek's amazing "When You Come Back Down," this all-instrumental effort is exquisite. My CD has a pencil design drawing that looks like a map through the Shire rather than the photograph I've seen before on this release; so it's interesting that there were 2 covers. All of the tracks are excellent. My favorite, perhaps because it is a bit different, is "Club G.R.O.S.S." with Jeff Coffin's tenor sax exploding. It's fun to hear the mandolin pair the same notes as sax for a musical phrase or two and then veer off in a different direction. "Wolfcreek Pass" seems to hit a more traditional bluegrass groove while "Bridal Veil Falls" has a very soothing pastoral feel. "Raining at Sunset" is an exceptionally pretty tune. This set is one that casts a wonderful spell and does not release you until the last note. It is at once somewhat traditional, certainly innovative, and above all a creative statement of love for the music. Enjoy!

Since the early 90s, you can't even mention the mandolin in a paragraph without some reference to one of it's most current geniuses, Chris Thile. Though the album is lush with experimental textures in Prog-Grass, the single jazz cut Club G.R.O.S.S. offers a tantazing glimpse of Thile's dangerously potent jazz capability.
Does his proflic melodic creativity ever stop? From listening to this CD, one would think not. Exploring the rich tradition of Bluegrass and Celtic, Thile takes us into the 21st Century now, with a whole new slant, a fresh harmonic vocabulary, a treasure of new acoustic textures, all armed with an arsenal of Nashville's most competent veteran studio musicians.
And despite his youth, he fits in like he's been there all along. Keep an eye on this one has he redefines the instrument, and develops a whole new role for the mandolin in contemporary music.