March 2007
It would take more space than this entire review to list the players’ prodigious accomplishments before string-dusting. Their group photos look like a friendly version of high-school detention, but the list of artists with whom they have played reads like a bluegrass hall of fame. Figure they probably hotdog it all the way? Not so! Discipline and restraint are part of this disc’s success. Instrumental solos showcase the formidable talents assembled here, but they take a backseat to each song’s inherent qualities. Maybe concluding with a lengthy instrumental lets fidgety horses out of the stable, but even there structure rules, complexity justifying the length. The crystalline recording lets you sort everything out when it is all happening, yet it delivers the individual strings of the most gently played lone guitar. Nor do the group’s good songwriters clamor for center stage: Half of the dozen tracks are by non-dusters. Andy Hall on Dobro, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Jesse Cobb on mandolin, Chris Eldridge on guitar, Chris Pandolfi on banjo, Travis Book and Alan Bartram on bass: Whatever fine albums you’re already hearing them on, for the moment, they’re the Infamous Stringdusters. Enjoy them while you can! GO BACK TO: |
The Infamous Stringdusters
- Fork in the Road
