As an avid fan of Nickel Creek, (I actually saw their last show EVER at the Ryman Auditorium) it almost pains me to say how great Chris Thile's venture with the Punch Brothers really is. While I really wish that he would reunite with Nickel Creek and create more of that great bluegrass/alt-country stuff I love so much, I can't deny that he has created something awesome.
This album came out last year, but it has taken me this long to really appreciate what he did. Maybe I was a little miffed at Chris for tearing apart one of my favorite Bluegrass groups ever...maybe. But, like many great artists, Chris felt a need to venture away from his original, comfortable Bluegrass style and embark on something new and different. And it's easy to see why a lifelong Bluegrass performer like Thile might feel this way. I love Bluegrass. It is truly the music of my family. However, it's hard to deny that it follows a fairly narrow set of musical pathways.
Thile however, has taken his roots and applied them to a classical form of composition. But, despite the more "formal" way the music was created, the album never loses it's sense of playfulness and even manages to throw in some light notes of experimental jazz in the occasional dissidence and free-moving melodic transition. And the Spanish guitar solos performed by the masterful Chris Eldridge are truly beautiful. All in all "Punch" by the Punch Brothers is a great accomplishment of a gifted musical collaboration. Thile along with some other truly remarkable musicians has created something very special.
I found that listening through the four movements of the "The Blind Leading the Blind" was moving, entertaining and compelling. I ended the album feeling excited for what experiment Thile might take on next! Will he meld Bluegrass into jazz or Broadway or something so far-fetched I can't even imagine?
"Punch" by the Punch Brother is an album I'll be recommending for a longtime to come for any bluegrass, classical, or just great music fans. Chris Thile is truly an amazing talent.
You can find it on amazon.com
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