by Eric Fidler
Looking Back
"The bluegrass police will probably issue warrants for their arrest,
and the jazz purists may do the same, but people who love great music
and don't care about labeling it will eat this one up."
For all of us who have been thinking the world would be a better
place if only there were more albums by acoustic bands on which jazz
great McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace" was followed by "Dixie Hoedown,"
and a Bill Monroe song was followed by Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," our
ship has just come in.
While each is a star in his own right on the acoustic scene, Todd
Phillips, David Grier and Matt Flinner create a special kind of magic
when they play as a band. Each is a virtuoso - Phillips on bass, Grier
on guitar and Flinner on mandolin - and each is capable of reeling off
mesmerizing solos. But on "Looking Back," each musician also lets the
overall sound take precedence over individual dazzle.
The bluegrass police will probably issue warrants for their arrest,
and the jazz purists may do the same, but people who love great music
and don't care about labeling it will eat this one up. "Looking Back" is
exquisite."
Eric Fidler, AP Writer