Almost Live (Sugar Hill, 2009)
Bryan Sutton
Reviewed by Dr. Bobby Jones
Bryan Sutton has a well-deserved reputation as a hot flat-pick guitarist and session player. Here he shows he is not limited to that genre. The opening three cuts are contemporary acoustic melodic tunes, then he breaks into a Norman Blake sounding rendition of Church Street Blues. Tim O'Brien does the vocals with emotion and soul. Next he turns to a Django-type tune with the appropriate title of (so named for the characteristic bridge of the Selmer guitar) He chunks out perfect jazz passing chords to accompany Aubrey Haynie's Grappelli-like fiddle work.
There is something different at every turn. When it got around to Wonder Valley Girls, one might half expect a pop tune, but, instead, it kicked off with wide open old time claw hammer banjo. There are upbeat tunes and dark numbers, waltzes and fiddle tunes; a little something for everyone. To close he turns traditional again with some fine brother duet style work on Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar. Fine collection here; Sutton is a master of many styles.
CDs by Bryan Sutton
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