2007 Dreadnought Records (#0701)
Review by Kirk Albrecht, www.minor7th.com
Have You Ever Been To England, High Atop Princess Cove, As It Rolls To The Sea, Road To Hope, The Old Spinning Wheel, America The Beautiful/Yesterday-Medley, Red Haired Boy, The End Of A Good Day, Redwing, Killing Me Softly, Crossing The Cumberlands/Old Ebenezer Scrooge-Medley, Bonaparte's Retreat, Randy Lynn Rag
One man and a guitar can make a lot of music, as evidenced by the fluid David Grier on his latest release, "Live at the Linda," where Grier treats a small gathering to a special evening of wood and steel. Grier follows in the footsteps of men like Clarence White and Tony Rice who took bluegrass guitar out of its major chord limitations, exploring a mélange of styles and textures, all the while never straying too far from the root. Grier has been an admired picker for years for his ability to flow in and out of the melody while charting new paths. His seminal work with the acoustic music supergroup Psychograss has found fertile soil in the imaginations of players far and wide. On "Live at the Linda," Grier mixes folksy humor with captivating melodies. Every cut is a chestnut, from the opening "Have You Ever Been to England," to the standard "Red Haired Boy" (a musical exploration itself). Most of the songs don't dazzle with flash, but rather demonstrate a man at peace with his instrument, serving the music and listener alike. Grier doesn't rely so much on blistering single note runs as deft cross-picking. He plays a sweet version of Roberta Flack's hit from the 70's "Killing Me Softly," and a medley of "America the Beautiful" with the Beatles' "Yesterday" which flow seamlessly together, staying close to the original melodies. Grier does heat things up a bit at the end of the concert in the encore, where he begins to build some momentum on "Bonaparte's Retreat," then lets it rip on "Randy Lynn Rag" where his power, speed, and clarity just plain leave you shaking your head. I'm not sure what the audience paid for tickets for this show, but it's worth the price of admission to get the CD.
© Kirk Albrecht