by Reed Johnson
Lone Soldier
The title promises rugged musical individuality, and Grier delivers splendidly. His guitar playing--warm, delicate, scholarly, probing-- gives this record its spine. In the space of 11 self-composed tracks, he leaves few possibilities for acoustic sound unexplored. But Grier is more than willing to step aside for his sidekicks: mandolin player Mike Compton and banjo virtuosos Craig Smith and Bela Fleck. Fleck, in particular, attains a jazzlike spontaneity and color on "The Meeting" and the more baroquely textured "Alphabet Soup." Victor Wooten appears on four tracks, inventing droll, playful riffs with Grier on "Porkchops and Applesauce." Grier appears comfortable in virtually every acoustic idiom: Waltz, blues jazz, Appalachian. In his range, ease and strength of musical personality, Grier is to guitars what Mark O'Connor is to fiddles.