The Set - Jerry Douglas (2024)
The dobro (aka the thing on the cover of Brothers In Arms), also called a resonator guitar, is a combination wood and steel guitar designed to be loud and full-toned without amplification.
And if you listen to pop, country, or rock music, you’ve probably heard Jerry Douglas playing it. Wikipedia says he’s played on 1600 albums, though there doesn’t seem to be a list. He’s a sometimes member of Alison Krauss’s Union Station band, and part of the active modern bluegrass and Americana movements that see him playing in all sorts of ad hoc outfits.
In his spare time, he’s recorded more than a dozen records of forward-thinking bluegrass under his own name.
Such a long and varied career inevitably leads to fragmentation. He found that a lot of his songs that were considered fan favorites were spread across many releases, some of which were hard to find. So he put together “the set,” a list of these oft-requested tunes that he could put to tape in one new session.
The album features bluegrass-style all-string arrangements for a 4-piece of Douglas’s dobro plus bass, guitar and violin. While that might sound sparse, they really fill the room. They’re sometimes locked together, while each musician takes extended turns in the spotlight.
The middle of the record is a weird place to put Something You Got, one of only two tracks with lyrics and vocals. It’s kind of jarring in the midst of the otherwise free-flowing instrumental music, but it’s a nitpick.
It’s a great set of progressive bluegrass that leans into the rustic sound but keeps the arrangements and song choices much more modern.
Tracks I Liked
From Ankara to Ismir - probably my favorite on here
Deacon Waltz - a lovely showcase for Douglas
The Fifth Season - presumably not inspired by one of my favorite sci fi novels of the current century, but still awesome. A lengthy trip through a wide territory.
