Customer Reviews

Republic of Strings

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Fans of progressive acoustic music think they know Darol Anger, but they won't know what hit them after they hear this! It seems like most musicians of Darol's generation are content to mine existing veins, settling into a cosy twilight. Not Anger -- here he's paired with two amazing young musicians (cellist Rushad Eggleston and fiddler Brittany Haas) and, along with under-rated flatpicker Scott Nygaard, use the techniques he has developed over years of exploration to enliven a new set of music drawn from all over the world. The guitar and cello are an unexpectedly forceful rhythm section, driving Anger and Haas to new levels of invention and intensity. But this isn't all about flash: the slower, more spacious tunes are amazingly empathetic -- bordering on telepathy. It's great to hear someone like Darol still testing the limits of his music...if you're new to his music, or haven't heard him in a while, here's where you pick up.

--those that surround themselves with sycophants and those that associate with their peers or betters.

Darol Anger is distinctly of the latter type. The musicians he has chosen to play with on this altogether remarkable disc are every bit his peers, if not his superiors. The result is a disc of magnificent presence and accomplishment.

Perhaps the standout characteristic of this astounding music is the diversity of material Anger has managed to round up and "break" (as one might a wild bronc) within its purview: everything from Irish traditional ("Lost in the Loop") to Detroit soul ("Higher Ground") to Kentucky bluegrass ("Old Dangerfield") to elay folk-rock ("Help Me" [nearly unrecognizable, it must be said], featuring the eartheral vocals of Laurie Lewis) to Villa-Lobos-like Brazilian-classical ("Andre de Sabato Nuovo") to smart swing ("Sneezin'") to Arabic ("Ouditras Rez") to gospel/blues ("Evening Prayer Blues") to African ("Dzinomwa Muna Save") to Scandinavian fiddle music ("Sand").

Surrounding himself with up-and-coming musicians of the absolute top rank (wildly creative fiddle player Brittany Haas; hugely underregarded flat-picking guitarist Scott Nygard, practically the peer of David Grier; monster cellist Rushad Eggleston), Anger has upped the ante of string-band music almost off the charts, with us, the listeners, being the beneficiaries.

Rhapsodic gloriousness of the first order: You snooze, you lose. Plus, contains a hidden mysterioso track that contextualizes the proceedings with gravitas beyond the call of duty.

Transcendent.